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.1 .f'S 



LIBRARY EDITION. 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST QUEBEC: 



BEING 



^' «,_ s»^. 



AN ACCURATE AND INTERESTING ACCOUNT ^VU/ 



OF THE 



HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERINGS 



OF THAT 



BAND OF HEEOES 

WHO TRAVERSED THE WILDERNESS, 

BY THE ROUTE OF THE KENNEBEC, AND CHAUDIERE RIVER, 
TO aUEBEG, IN THE YEAR 1775. 



By JOHN JOSEPH HENRY, Esq. 

Late President of the Second Judicial District in Pennsylvania. 



REVISED EDITION, WITH CORRECTIONS AND ALTERATIONS. 

W AT E RT WN, N. Y. 
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY KNOWLTON & RICE. 

1844 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1844, by 
Knowlton & Rice, in the Office of the Clerk of the 
Pistrict Court of the Northern District of New- York. 



>i 



N 






Advertisement to the First Edition, 
TO THE PUBLIC. 



THIS work is given to the world, as left b}'- Judo^e Hen- 
ry. Had he lived to superintend the printing of it him- 
self, many alteralions would, no doubt, liaye been made ; 
many passages which may at present appear obscure, would 
have been fully explained, and many differences of style 
corrected. As the work purports to be written by Judge 
Henry, it was thought improper to make any alterations 
or additions, trustmg that the world, when acquainted with 
the circumstances under which it was published, would be 
disposed to pardon trivial errors. As to the truth of the 
principal facts, the following letter from General Michael 
Simpson to Judge Henry, is ample testimony : 

Dear Sir, 

I have read your manuscript " of the Expedition through the 
Wilderness, in 1775." So far as I was concerned, in the transac- 
tions related in the work, they are truly stated. Tliat expedition, 
perhaps the most arduous during; tlie revolutionary war, is truly 
represented. The public may, in the general, be assured that the 
account is genuine. 

Your liumble servant, 

MICHAEL SIMPSON. 
To J. J. Henry, Esq,. 



Advertisement to the Second Edition. 
THE PUBLISHERS 

Of this ^'Revised Edition, with corrections,^^ deem it prop- 
er to state that the alterations or corrections extend no fur- 
\ ^her than to render what was in a degree obscure, more 

1 • T • 

am. In many mstances the style is also thought to be 

nproved ; yet care has been taken to follow as nearly^ as 

wssible the author's phraseology, that the excitement of 



Tl TO THE PUBLIC. 

the narration may be preserved. The lengthy Notes of 
the original edition have been mainly omitted, as they 
relate to subjects mostly local, and of but little import to 
the general reader, or that are well understood at the pres- 
ent day from other sources. 

It is a fact no more to be regretted than true, that care 
enough has not been taken to preserve incidents of those 
days which " tried men's souls ;" and it is principally to 
snatch from oblivion a feat of the Revolutionary times, but 
slightly touched upon by historians, that the present Nar- 
rative is re- published. 

The actors, or their immediate successors, have little 
idea of the momentous interest which future generations 
"will attach to every deed that tended to free us as a peo- 
ple from foreign domination, and to the establishment of a 
government whose theory is in a measure new, and need- 
ing every patriotic incitement to preserve unimpaired m 
practice. 

In this particular, the example of our fathers may be 
more useful than the precepts of cotemporaries. The read- 
er can form his own estimate when he shall have read the 
following interesting pages. 

Furthermore, it is an important truth, that although now, 
1844, seventy years have passed away since the " Cam- 
paign against Quebec" took place, and that the line of 
inarch was through what has been denominated the " Dis- 
puted Territory,'' the account given in this narrative of 
the face of the country, its natural productions, &c. is su- 
perior to any yet before the public. This alone contributes 
in no small measure to the usefulness of the work. 



LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, 

BY HIS DAUGHTKR. 



IT is an obsei-vation, trite, ti-ue, and universally admit- 
ted, that the lives of those who have not embraced a 
wide sphere of action, are miinteresting and perfectly- 
devoid of any incitements to attention. On the contra- 
ry, the biography of warriors and statesmen is perused 
with avidity — not merely on account of the incidents of 
their own history, but of those of the times in which 
they lived. In descending to the humbler walks of 
life, when we trace the history of a good and unfortu- 
nate man through all the varied evolutions that pecu- 
liarly mark his fate, and which prevent him from being 
enrolled in the list of those beings who have found their 
path divested of thorns, it is to some, still interesting ; 
and although the incidents may not be of a nature to 
excite wonder or astonishment, they may still possess 
the power to call forth the sympathy of minds that have 
been taught to feel for others' woes. 

John Joseph Henry, the author of the following- 
pages, was born November 4th, 1758, at Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania. His father was William Henry, Esq. 
a man whose memory is still revered by those who pos- 
sessed any knowledge of him. His strict honesty and 
known probity, render it sacred to such as claimed him 
as their friend. He was possessed of a strong mechau- 
ical genius.* 

* He was the inventor of the well-known screw auger. 



Viil LIFE OP 

Warmly attached to this his favorite pursuit, he wish- 
ed to instil into the minds of his children a taste for 
mechanics. With some of them he succeeded. As 
soon as his son John Joseph had attained the age of 
14, he bound him an apprentice to an uncle, who was 
a gunsmith, then a resident of Lancaster, but after 
some time removed to Detroit, taking his nephew with 
him. At that place his stay was but short, on account 
of scarcity of business. He returned on foot with a 
single guide, who died in the wilderness which lay be- 
tween Detroit and his home. It was here that those 
haidships and misfortunes first were felt, which were 
his future companions during a length of years devoted 
to God and his country. Young Henry returned to 
his parents and home, dissatisfied with the employment 
a judicious father had pointed out for him, as the means 
by which he w^ished him to gain a future subsistence. 
His arduous mind panted after military glory ; the 
troubles of his country, fomenting and producing vig- 
orous, and ultimately successful struggles for a total e- 
mancipation from slavery, wrought strongly upon one, 
the acme of whose hopes and washes was, to be one 
of those who contended most for freedom. In the fall 
of 1775 he clandestinely joined a regiment of men rais- 
ed in Lancaster county, for the purpose of joining Ar- 
nold, who at that time was stationed at Boston. His 
father was commissary to the troops, which office obli- 
ged him to attend them to Reading. It was at this 
time, under circumstances which rendered him most 
liable to detection from his parent, he left his home to 
wander at the age of 16, in a strange land. Thus a 
thirst for glory inflamed his youthful breast, and super- 
seded every other passion and affection of his heart. 
After enduring all the fatigues of a veteran soldier, the 
ai-my entered Canada on his birth-day — an eventful one 
to him. He endured hardships there which in his own 
simple style, he fully enumerates. It was in prison, 
where he lay for nine months, that he contracted a dis- 



THE AUTHOR. ix 

ease, (the scurvy,) which at that time did not make its 
appearance — but six weeks afterwards, on his return 
home, at a time when least expected, it made its ap- 
pearance under its most maUgnant form. It was at a 
time when it became a duty incumbent on him to con- 
tinue in the army. A captaincy had been procured for 
him in the Virginia Hue, and a Ueutenancy in that of 
Pennsylvania. He had designed to accept of the com- 
mand under the hero Morgan, which was that of cap- 
tain ; but the disposer of all events arrested his career, 
and instead of his fond expectations being accomplish- 
ed, all his hopes were blasted, and his high prospects 
rendered a dreary void, by the order of that Omnipo- 
tence who furaished him with that fortitude which en- 
abled him, through all his misery, to kiss the rod that 
chastised him. It was after two years' continuance on 
the couch of sickness, that his leg, which was the un- 
fortunate cause of all his illness, began to heal, and re- 
novated health, to give hopes that peace yet remained 
for him. 

As his lameness precluded all possibility of his again 
entering the army ; as he had, by a disregard of pa- 
rental authority, at least so far as concerned his trade, 
forfeited his claim to his father's exertions to place him 
in such a situation as would make him capable of ren- 
dering himself useful to society, a vigorous effort on his 
part was necessaiy. Resolution was not wanting. 
He bound himself as an apprentice to John Hubley, 
Esq. prothonotary of the county of Lancaster, as a 
clerk in the office, where for four years he pursued his 
business with the closest application, and discharged the 
duties of his office with unabated care and strictness ; 
and when the labors of the day were over, his nights 
were consumed in study, endeavoring to compensate 
himself in some measure for the neglect that his edu- 
cation had suffered by his becoming a soldier. His 
frame, still somewhat debilitated by his illness, was not 
capable of sustaining the fatigues of office j his health 



LIFE OF 



suffered miicli from labor so severe, and application so 
intense. The time of his indentures having expired, 
he commenced the study of the law under Stephen 
Chambers, Esq. Here he became acquainted with his 
future companion in life, the youngest sister of Mr. C. 
He practised law from the year 1785, until December, 
1793. As his leo;"al knowledge was known to be exten- 
sive, his abilities and talents met their due reward, in 
an appointment, by his excellency Thomas Mifflin, gov- 
ernor, to the office of president of the second judicial 
district of Pennsylvania. 

A number of years had now elapsed, and his family 
was large. By an unfortunate removal to a country, 
at that period sickly, he was attacked by the gout, 
which, from inexperience, and owing to his having no 
knowledge as to the consequences that would necessa- 
rily ensue , did not take proper precautions, so as to 
render it a regular disease. Under that deceptive 
name, numerous disorders invaded his frame, and at 
times with so much severity, that he was compelled to 
continue at home, and thus prevented from executing 
his official duties as a judge. It was during seven long 
years of bodily suffering, that his mind and memory re- 
verted to those scenes, (more forcibly than ever,) which 
formed so eventful a period in a life of misfortune and 
vicissitude. The interesting narrative of the sufferings 
of that band of heroes, of which he was the youngest, 
is a simple tale of truth, which he undeviatingly through- 
out his book adheres to. 

He is supported in all his assertions by the testimo- 
ny of a number of his companions in that arduous cam- 
paign ; men of character and respectability. His rela- 
tion of incidents, his descriptive accounts of the coun- 
try they passed through, the situation of Quebec, and 
the disposition of the army, all mark him to have been 
a youth of accurate observation, and of a comprehen- 
sive and intelligent mhid. Possessing, as he must ne- 
cessarily have done, activity of spirit and contempt of 



iHE AUTHOR. XI 

fatigue, he gained the approbation and esteem of his 
seniors. The buoyant spirit of youth rose high over 
misfortune ; under the pressure of the severest distress, 
vivacity was still retained, and burst forth at intervals 
to cheer his hopeless companions. 

Disease had now made rapid progress on a constitu- 
tion weakened by repeated attacks, and accumulation 
of disorders, which no skill could counteract or reme- 
dy. The non-peformance of his duties caused petitions 
from the several counties to be presented to the legis- 
lature, for his removal ; nothing was alleged against 
him but absence. That honorable house, having exam- 
ined and considered the charges, acquitted him with hon- 
or. His commission he retained for the space of two 
years afterwards — but illness and debility increasing, 
and a knowledge that his infirmities were incurable, 
compelled him to resign that office which he had held 
with integrity for seventeen years. Four months af- 
terwards, his worn out frame was destined to feel the 
stroke of death, and his freed soul, to seek refuge in 
the bosom of his Father and his God. 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST QUEBEC. 



MY DEAR CHILDREN : 



THERE is an event in the history of the American 
Revolution hitherto little noticed ; as yet imperfectly 
described, and now at this late day almost forgotten ; 
which would deserve and require the talents and 
genius of a Xenophon, to do real justice. As your 
father in early life had a concern in that adventure, 
permit him to relate to you in the words of truth, a 
compendious detail of the sufferings of a small band 
of heroes, unused, to be sure, to military tactics and 
due subordination, but whose souls were fired by an 
enthusiastic love of country, and w^ith a spirit such 
as often inspired our ancestors, when determined to 
be free. In giving you this relation, knowing him 
as you do, you will scarcely call in question his ve- 
racity ; particularly when he assures you upon the 
honor of a gentleman and an honest man, that ev- 
ery word here related, to the best of his recollection 
and belief, is literally true. He could not be so un- 
just to your morals, your veracity, or integrity, as to 
state anything to you which he knew, or even sus- 
pected to be untrue. He has himself iDeen too much 
the victim of calumny, not to endeavor to eradicate 
so vile a principle from your minds. His own edu- 
cation, gained in waywardness, in avoidance of the 
bounteous and liberal designs of his good father, was 
aa incorrect one, yet the piety and real religious fer- 
2 



14 CAMPAIGN 

vor of his parents, never would tolerate a lie. This 
mental vice, to tiieni, was the greatest of ail aboini- 
nationp, as it is with your father : it is also his most 
fervent hope and prayer, that every one of you will 
not only contemn untruth, but hold in sovereign de- 
testation the utterer of falsehood. 

Persons at your age, and at this advanced stage of 
the improvement and amelioration of our soil, in a 
climate so far south as ours, of Pennsylvania, can 
scarcely form a correct conception, but from actual 
observation, of the sterility, the dreariness and the 
destitution of every comfort of life, which a wilder- 
ness in a high northern latitude exhibits. A confi- 
dence however in your good sense, encourages, and 
in fact animates him, to put that upon paper, which 
has a thousand times, in detached parcels, been the 
subject of amusing prattle around the fireside. 

In the autumn of 1775, our adorable Washing- 
ton thought it piudent to make a descent upon Can- 
ada. A detachment from the American grand army, 
then in the vicinity of Boston, was organized, to ful- 
fil this intention, by the route of the Kennebec, and 
Chaudiere river. It was intended as a co-operation 
with the army of General Montgomery, which had 
entered the same province, by the way of Champlain 
and Montreal, Colonel Benedict Arnold was ap- 
pointed the commander-in-chief of the whole divis- 
ion. The detachment consisted of eleven hundred 
men. Enos was second in command. Of this I 
knew nothing, except from report. Riflemen com- 
posed a part of the armament. These companies, 
from sixty-five to seventy-five strong, were from the 
southward ; that is. Captain Daniel Morgan's com- 
pany from Virginia; that of Captain William Hen- 
dricks, from Cumberland county in Pennsylvania ;. 
and Captain IMatthew Smith's company from the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 15 

county of Lancaster, in the latter province. The 
residue, and bulk of tliis corps, consisted of troops 
from Massachusetts, Rliode Island; and Connecticut. 
It has flown from m}^ memory whether we had any 
from New-Hampshire ; hut there is an impression on 
my mind that we had ; as General Dearborn, who 
was of the latter province, commanded a company 
in the expedition. All these men were of as rude 
and hardy a race as ourselves, and as unused to the 
discipline of a camp, and as fearless as we were. It 
fell to me to know many of tliem aftet wards inti- 
mately ; speaking- generally, without any allusion to 
particulars, they were an excellent body of men, 
formed by nature as the stamina of an army, fitted 
for the tough and tight defence of the liberties of 
their country. The principal distinction between us, 
was in our dialects, our arms, and our dress. Each 
man of the three companies bore a rifle-barreled gun, 
a tomahawk, or small axe, and a long knife, usual- 
ly called a ' scalping knife,' which served for all pur- 
poses, in the woods. His under-dress, by no means 
in a military style, was covered by a deep ash-color- 
ed hunting-shirt, leggins, and moccasins, if the latter 
could be procured. It was the silly fashion of those 
times for riflemen to ape the manners of savages. 

Our commander, Arnold, was of a remarkable 
character. He was brave, even to temerity, was be- 
loved by the soldiery, perhaps for that quality only ; 
he possessed great powers of persuasion, and was com- 
plaisant, but withal sordidly avaricious. Arnold was 
a short, handsome man, of a florid complexion, stout- 
ly made, and forty years old at least. 

On the other hand Morgan was a large, strong 
bodied personage, whose appearance gave the idea 
history has left us of Belisarius. His manners were 
of the severest cast* but where he became attached 



16 CAMPAIGN 

he was kind and truly affectionate. This is said 
from experience of the most sensitive and pleasing 
nature. Activiiy, spirit, and courage in a soldier, 
procured his good will and esteem. 

Hendricks was tall, of a mild and beautiful coun- 
tenance. His soul was animated by a genuine spark 
of heroism. Smith was a good looking man, had 
the air of a soldier, was iUiierate, and outrageously 
talkative. The officers of the eastern troops were 
many of them men of sterling worth. Col. Christo- 
pher Green seemed too far advanced in life for such 
I]ard service, yet he was inspired by an ardor becom- 
ing a youth. He afterwards did the public good ser- 
vice at Redbank on the Delaware, in the autumn of 
1777. Majors Meigs, Febiger and Bigelow, were 
excellent characters. As we acted in the advance, 
the latter gentlemen were not well known to us un- 
til sometime afterwards. Your father was too young 
to enjoy any other honor than that of exposing him- 
self in the character of a cadet, to every danger. 

This httle army, in high spirits, marched from Pros- 
pect hill, near Cambridge in Massachusetts, on the 
11th of September, 1775, and arrived at Newbury- 
port, (which is formed by the waters of the Merri- 
mac river,) on the following day. This place ai that 
time was a small, but commercial town, near the 
eastern border of Massachusetts. Here we remain- 
ed encamped five days, providing ourselves with such 
articles of real necessity as our small means afford- 
ed. On the afternoon of the sixth day we embark- 
ed on board of ten transports ; sailed in the evening, 
and at dawn of day descried the mouth of the Ken- 
nebec river. The wind was strong but fair. The 
distance of this run was 150 miles. We ascended 
the river to Colonel Coburn's ship-yard ; here we left 
our vessels aud obtained batteaux, with which we 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 17 

proceeded to Fort Western. At this place, on the day 
of our arrival, an arrangement was made hy the 
commander-in-chief, which in all probability sealed 
the destiny of your parent. It was concluded to des- 
patch an officer and seven men in advance, for the 
purpose of ascertaining' and marking the paths that 
were used by the [ndians at the numerous carrying 
places in the wilderness, towards the heads of the riv- 
er ; and also to ascertain the course of the river 
Chaucliere, which runs from the height of land, to- 
wards Quebec . 

To give some degree of certainty of success to so 
hazardous an enterprise, Arnold found it necessary to 
select an officer of activity and courage; the choice 
fell upon Archibald Steele of Smith's company, a man 
of an active, courageous, sprightly and hardy dispo- 
sition, who was complimented with the privilege of 
naming his companions. These consisted of Jesse 
Wheeler, George Merchant, and James Clifton, of 
Morgan's : and Robert (Cunningham, Thomas Boyd, 
John Tidd, and John M'Konkey, of Smith's compa- 
ny. Though a very youth, yet in a small degree 
accustomed to hardships, derived from long marches 
in the American woods, Steele's course of selection 
next fell upon your father, who was his messmate 
and friend. Two birch-bark canoes w^ere provided ; 
and two guides, celebrated for the management of 
such water ciaft, who knew the river as high up as 
the great carrying-place, were also found. These 
were Jeremiah Getcliel, a very respectable man, and 
John Home, an Irishman who had grown grey in 
this cold climate. 

This small party, unconscious of danger, and an- 
imated by a hope of applause from their country, set 
forw^ard from Fort Western in their light barks, at 
the rate of from fifteen to twenty, and in good wa- 
2* 



18 CAMPAIGN 

ter, twenty-five miles per day. Tliese canoes are so 
light that a person of common strength may carry 
one of the smaller kind, such as ours were, many 
hundred yards without halting. Yet they will bear 
a great burthen, and swim nearly gunwale deep; an 
admirable description of them is given by Hearne, in 
his journey to the Coppermine river. Steele's canoe 
bore five men with their arms and baggage, which 
last was indeed light in quality and quantity: one 
barrel of pork, one bag of meal, and 200 weight of 
biscuit. The other canoe carried seven men, their 
arms and baggage, and a due proportion of provis- 
ions. 

On the evening of the 23d of September, our par- 
ty arrived at Fort Halifax, situated on the point, form- 
ed by a junction of the Sabasticoog and the Kenebec 
river. Here our conmiander, Steele, was accosted by 
a Captain Harrison, or Huddh;stone, inviting him and 
the company to his house. The invitation was glad- 
ly accepted, as the accommodation at the Fort, which 
consisted of old block houses and a stoccade in a ru- 
inous state, did not admit of much comfort ; besides, 
it was inhabited, as our friend the Captain said, by 
a rank tonj. Here, for the first time, the application 
of the American term " tory" was defined to me by 
the Captain. Its European definition was well un- 
derstood before. Another interesting conversation, 
on the part of the captain, struck my mind as a great 
curiosity in natural history, and well deserving com- 
memoration ; he observed that he had emigrated to 
the place he then resided at, about thirty years be- 
fore, most probably with his parents, for he did not 
then appear to be much beyond forty. That at that 
period the common deer which now inhabit our more 
southern cHmate, were the only animals of the deer 
kind, which they knew, unless it was the elk ; and 



AGAINST QUEBEC. - 19 

these but partially. In a short space of time the 
moose deer appeared in small numbers, but increas- 
ed annually afterwards, and as the one species be- 
came more numerous, the other diminished : so that 
the kind of deer first spoken of, at the time of this 
information, according to the captain, was totally 
driven from that quarter. The moose deer reigned 
the master of the forest. This anecdote, if true, 
might in such minds as those of Buflibn, or De Paw, 
give rise to theories in natural history, totally incon- 
sistent with the laws of nature. Still there may be 
something in it; brute animals, like human beings, 
whether forced by necessity or from choice, do emi- 
grate. Many instances might be given of this cir- 
cumstance of the animal economy, in various parts 
of the world. The above relation is the only in- 
stance which has come to my knowledge, where one 
species has expelled another of the same genus. If 
the fact be true, it is either effected by a species of 
warfare, or some peculiarity in the appearance of the 
one kind, and of horror or perhaps of disgust in the 
other. We know that the rock-goat, [steinbock, of 
the Germans, and boqucfin, of the French,) former- 
ly inhabited the low hills of southern France and of 
the Pyrenees; they have been driven thence by some 
peculiar cause, for they are now confined to the tops 
of the highest mountains in Europe. Jt is true, it 
has been frequently advanced by men of respectalDil- 
ity and information in Pennsylvania, that the grey 
fox, which is indigenous in the United States, and all 
North America, has. been driven from the Atlantic 
sea coast into the interior, by the introduction of the 
red fox from Europe. But we have no sufficient da- 
ta to warrant this assertion. The truth probably is, 
that as the grey fox is a dull and slow animal, com- 
pared with the sprightliness, rapidity, and cunning of 



20 CAMPAIGN 

the red fox, that the first has been thinned by the 
huntsman, and gradually receded from the sea-coast 
to the forest, where, from his habits, he is more se- 
cure. The cunning- and prowess of the latter has 
enabled him to maintain his station among the farms, 
in despite of the swnftness and pow^erful scent of the 
dogs. But tliat \vhich puts this assertion out of view, 
is that the red fox is indigenous throughout North A- 
inerica. He and the grey fox are found in the high- 
est latitudes, but there their skins are changed into 
more beautiful furs than those of ours, by the effects 
of climate. Anotlier notion has been started within 
these twenty years past, that the fox squirrel is ex- 
pelling the large grey squirrel: but it is fallacious. 

Be these things as they may, we spent an agreea- 
ble and most sociable evening with this respectable 
man and his amiable family. On the following day 
our party rose early, and accompanied by our host, 
waited upon the tory, who then shewed himself to be 
an honest man, of independent principles, and who 
claimed the right of thinking for hiinself. He ex- 
changed a barrel of smoke-dried salmon for a barrel 
of pork, upon honest terms. We set out from this 
place, well pleased with our iiost, the old tory, and 
our bargain. In a very few days, without other ac- 
cident than the spraining of Lieutenant Steele's an- 
cle, by his slipping when carrying a canoe over the 
path, at one of the intermediate portages, we arrived 
safely at Norridgewoc falls. Coming to the landing 
place, the water being smooth and very deep, a rock, 
as we passed it, drew my attention very particularly ; 
it was standing in a conical form, five feet in perpen- 
dicular height, and ten or twelve feet in diameter at 
the base. 1 observed that next the water, the face 
of the rock, which was a bluish flint, was, as it were, 
scalloped out, down to the water's edge. Asking 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 21 

Gelchel how this had occurred, his reply was that 
the Indians in former times had from thence obtain- 
ed their spear and arrow points. It seems unreason- 
able that without a knowledge of iron, they should 
have been capable of executing such a labor. How- 
ever, upon observation and reflection since Getchel's 
time, an inducement from experience and reasoning 
occurs, which influences me to believe that he might 
have been correct in his observation. The rock, no 
doubt, still remains, and there is leisure for others to 
pursue the inquiry and discussion. We were hurri- 
ed. The village within one hundred yards of the 
pitch of the fall was evidently a deserted Indian 
town. We saw no one there : it was without the 
vestige of inhabitants. Dressing our victuals here at 
mid-day, an occurrence happened which disgusted 
me in an extreme degree. On this day, an estimate 
of our food was made, and an allotment in quantity 
to each man, though no actual separation of shares 
took place, as that, it was agreed, should happen at 
the twelve-mile carrying place. By the estimate now 
made, it seemed that there was something of a sur- 
plus. As we had had hard work on that and some 
preceding days, and hLirder fare, our good comman- 
der was inclined to indulge us. The surplus was al- 
lotted for this day's fare.. It happened that M'Kon- 
key was, by routine, the cook. He boiled the meat, 
(vegetable food of any kind was not attainable,) and 
when saimtering towards the fall, he called us to din- 
ner. We came eagerly. He was seated on the earth, 
near the wooden bowl. The company reclined a- 
round in a like posture, intending to partake ; when 
M'Konkey, raising his vile and dirty hands, struck the 
meat, exclaimed, with an oath, " that'ihis was our 
last comfortable meal." The indelicacy of the act, 
and the grossness of expression, deprived the compa- 



22 CAMPAIGN 

ny of appetite. On several subsequent occasions M'- 
Konkey showed himself as mean in spirit as he was 
devoid of decency. We soon rid ourselves of him. 
Many years afterwards at Lancaster, in Pennsylva- 
nia, he applied for and received a loan by way of 
charity from me, which he meanly solicited with the 
most abject sycophancy. So true it is, in general, 
that those who disregard the social decencies of life, 
are equally incapable of those virtues which make 
man respectable in society. 

On the afternoon of this day we crossed to tlie 
west side of the river below the fall : searched for, 
and wnth difficulty found the carrying place. Hav- 
ing marked it with precision, we rested awhile. On 
the w^est side of the river, not very distant from us, 
there was a considerable extent of natural meadow. 
One of our party, exploring the country for deer, met 
with two white men who had come from a distance, 
mowing the wild grass of the meadow. An agree- 
able barter ensued — w^e gave salted pork, and they 
returned two fiesh beaver tails, which, when boiled, 
renewed ideas imbibed with the May butter of our 
own country. Taste, however, is arbitrary, and of- 
ten the child of necessity. Two years before this, 
acorns had supplied me with a precarious sustenance, 
on a journey from Sandusky to Pittsburg. They 
momentarily sustained life and bodily labor, but the 
consequence was ill health. Your respectaljle kins- 
man, General Gibson, received me into his house at 
Logstown on the Ohio, and restored me sound to my 
parents. These minute jnatters are noted here, from 
an expectation, that knowing the privations men may 
suffer in respect to food, you will each of you remem- 
ber to receive the dispensations of Providence, of ev- 
ery kind, if not with thankfulness, at least with sub> 
mission. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 23 

We passed the portage of Norridgewoc falls. — 
Thence for several days the navigation for such ca- 
noes as ours was tolerable, and in the most part, con- 
venient. We ascended the river rapidly, marking 
every carrying-place. Having now seceded many 
miles from the last white inhabitants at Norridgewoc, 
it became necessary to proceed with caution. A cir- 
cumspection was adopted, which, though prudent in 
the predicament we were in, appeared rather harsh 
to the feelings; the firing of a gun was inhibited ; 
though the weather was chilhng, we dared scarcely 
make a snjoke at night. Angling for trout and chub 
in the morning and evening made up our stock of 
fresh food. We frequently saw ducks, 6cc. and many- 
moose deer, yet we discharged not a gun ; in truth 
we had been made to believe that this country had 
numerous Indians in it. 

Tiie party reached without molestation, except 
from natural rock and a swift current, the twelve 
mile carrying-place, on the 27th of September. Here 
a new scene opened. Our guides professed that nei- 
ther of them had ever been north of this place across 
the carrying-place ; but Getchel alleged that he had 
hunted to the east of the river. 

Now w^e assumed the responsibility of being our own 
guides, giving to Getchel due respect and attention 
for his information relative to the route north. He 
informed me that the course of the river which is in- 
judiciously called the "Dead River," tended 60 or 
100 miles northerly, taking a short turn southward- 
ly, and was then within twelve miles of us. That 
this part was full of rapids, and impassable for boats, 
or even canoes. We seaiched for the carrying-place, 
and found a path tolerably distinct, which we made 
more so by marking the trees and snagging the bush- 
es with our tomahawks. Proceeding until evening, 



24 CAMPAIGN 

the party encamped on the margin of a small lake, 
perhaps half a mile wide, where there were plenty 
of trout, which old CHfton, who was good at angling, 
caught in abundance. Here, in a conference on the 
subject, it was resolved that two persons of the party 
should remain, (with about one half of the provis- 
ions,) until the return of our main body, calculating 
the return would be in eight or ten days. It had 
been observed that Clifton, being the oldest of the 
company, yet brave and a good shot, from the fa- 
tigues we had endured had begun to flag. With the 
assent of our chief the younger part of us proposed 
to him to remain where we tl)en were with the bet- 
ter part of the provisions. After considerable alter- 
cation he assented, on condition of his having a com- 
panion. The youngest of the party nominated M'- 
Konkey, who could not restrain his joy at the propo- 
sal. It was advised for them to retire to the south end 
of the pond, perhaps a mile, and there, as in a per- 
fect recess, remain concealed. Knowing M'Konkey, 
the consequences were foreseen. After the accom- 
plishment of this affair Lieutenant Steele parted the 
provision appropriated for the marchers, not by pounds 
or ounces, my dear children, but by "whose shall 
be this." Some of you have been taugiu how this 
is done : if you have forgotten, it will be well now 
to tell you of it. The principal of the party, if he 
is a gentleman and man of honor, divides the whole 
portion equally into as many parts as there are men, 
including himself; this is done under the eyes of all 
concerned, and with their approbation ; the officer 
then directs some one of the company to turn his 
back upon him, and laying his hand on a particular 
portion, asks " whose shall be this ?" The answer 
is hap-hazard, A. B. <fec. or any other of the party. 
It has frequently occurred that we were compelled to 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 25 

divide the necessaries of life in this way, and it could 
not be fairly said that any fraud or circumvention 
took place. 

September 28th, we left Clifton and his compan- 
ion in a most dreary wild, but with enough to sup- 
port them : and if they would act honorably, to as- 
sist us. A laughable occurrence ensued. Sergeant 
Boyd and myself had, that day, the charge of un- 
loading and loading the canoes, which, as customa- 
ry, being very light and easily blown off shore by 
a puff of wind, were drawn half their lengths on the 
beach ; we ran a race to see who should perform his 
duty soonest — he arrived first. Taking up liis canoe 
suddenly, but hoping to have a belter stand than the 
shore presented, he set his foot on a large bed of moss 
seemingly firm, and sunk ten feet into as cold water, 
while fluid, as was ever touched. We soon passed 
the pond, found the path, marked it, and came, at 
the end of several miles, to a second pond, if my re- 
collection serves, larger than the former : traversing 
this, we encamped more cautiously than ever. On 
the next day, pursuing the path, and marking it, a 
third pond of small diameter was presented to our 
view. Passing this, by the evening we encamped on 
the north bank of the Dead River. 

This river, Avhich is nothing more than an exten- 
sion of the Kennebec, is called by this remarkable 
name, because a current, a few miles below the place 
we were now at, and for many miles above it, is im- 
perceptible. It is deep, and perhaps 250 yards wide. 
The ground we footed within the last three days, is 
a very rugged isthmus, which forms the great bend 
of the Kennebec. Coming from the high ground to- 
wards the Dead River, we passed a bog, which ap- 
peared, before we entered it, as a beautiful plat of 
firm ground, level as a bowling green, and covered 
3 



28 CAMPAIGN 

by an elegant green moss. That day, to save my 
shoes for severer service, mockasins had been put in 
their place. Every step we made sunk us knee-deep 
in a bed of wet turf. My feet were pained and la- 
cerated by the snags of tlie dead pines, a foot and 
more below the surface of the moss ; these,ahd many 
other occurrences, which happened afterwards, con- 
vinced me more than reading couldj of the manner 
of the formation of turf Sometimes, to lighten the 
canoe when ascendino^ swift water, several of us would 
disembark and proceed along shore, and on many 
occasions, traverse a point of land to save distance. 
Doing this, we often met with what we thought aflat 
ground covered with moss. Entering the parterre, as 
it mis^ht be called, and runnins^ alone: that which we 
found to be a log covered with moss, the moisture on 
the log would cause a foot to slip — down we would 
come, waist deep in a bed of wet moss; such inci- 
dents always created a laugh. A spark, if these 
beds of moss had been dry, as tliey were wet, would 
have made a dreadful conflagration : the upper coun- 
try seemed throughout as if covered with it. To the 
south and west of the bog first mentioned, ihere was 
a natural meadow of great extent. On the west it 
reached, seemingly, to the foot of the mountains sev- 
eral miles off. A beautiful creek serpentined through 
it, and formed a convenient harbor and landing place, 
opposite to our camp, and directly to which the Indi- 
an path led us. 

The timber trees of this country are in a great 
measure different from those of our own. Here are 
neither oaks, hickories, poplars, maples or locusts ; 
but there is a great variety of other kinds of excellent 
timber, such as the white and yellow pines, hemlock, 
cedar, cypress, and all the species of firs. These 
trees, in the low grounds, grow to a very large size. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 27 

On the hills, as we approached northwardly, they 
seem to dwindle, particularly as we come to the 
"height of land ;" hut again rise to a superb height 
as w^e descend into the intervale, on the streams run- 
ning into Canada. Among ihe trees of this country 
there are two which deserve particular notice, be- 
cause of their remarkable c[ualiiies. These are the 
balsam fir. (Canada Balsam — Balm of Gilead fir, 
or hahamum Canadeiise 2^mf(s haJsomea : which 
produces ihe purest turpentine,) and the Yellow 
Birch. The first, as its vulgar name imports, yields 
a balsamic liquid, which has been, and peihaps is 
now, much esteemed by the medical profession. 
The bark is smooth, except that there are a vast 
number of white and lucid protuberances upon it, of 
the size of a finger or thumb nail, bulging from the 
surface of the bark. Tins tree grows to the size of 
from 15 to 20 inches in diameter. Fron) the essays 
made, it seemed to me that a phial containing a gill 
might be filled in the space of an hour. Getchelf 
our guide, taught me its use. In the morning when 
we rose, placing the edge of a broad knife at the un- 
der side of the blister, and my lips at the opposite 
part, on the back of the knife, which was declined, 
the liquor flowed into my mouth freely. It was heat- 
ing and cordial to the stomach, attended by an agree- 
able pungency. This practice, which we adopted, 
in all likelihood contributed to the preservation of 
health — -for though much wet weather ensued, and 
we lay often on low and damp ground, and had very 
many successions of cold atmosphere, it does not now 
occur to nie that any of. us were assailed by sickness 
during this arduous excursion. Thfr yellow birch is 
useful in many particular instances to the natives. 
They form the body of the tree into seiting-polesj 
paddles, spoons and ladles. The bark, its better pro- 



28 CAMPAIGN 

perty, serves as a covering for the frame of the ca- 
noe, much in the same manner as the Esquimaux 

• and Greenlanders apply the seal skin. To you it 
may appear to be a strange assertion, but to me it 
seems true, that the birch-bark canoe is the most in- 
genious piece of mechanism, man in a rude state is 
capable of constructing. From the bark of yellow 
birch, the Indian also forms bowls and baskets of a 
most beautiful construction, and it even serves as a 
wrapper for any nice matter which it is wished to 
keep securely, much in the manner we use brown 
wrapping paper. The appearance of the yellow birch 
tree at a distance, is conspicuous. Approaching near 
it, in the autumn, it seems involved in rolls, some- 
thing resembling large circular rounds of parchment, 
or yellow paper. There is in my mind no question, 
but that among a numerous and industrious people, 
such as the Chinese, this indigenous product would 
become an article of general use in various ways. 

♦The bark, when taken from the tree, may be obtain- 
ed lengthwise of the tree, from one to four feet, and 
of a length equal to the circumference. It is some- 
times white, with a yellow cast, but n»ore usually of 
a pale, and sometimes of a deep gold colour. It is 
divisible, when ever so thick; into the most filmy 
sheets. The Indians, for canoes, use it of the thick- 
ness of from a fourth, down to the eighth of an inch, 
according to the size of the vessel. Curiosity and 
convenience made us reduce it often to a film, by no 
means thicker or more substantial than the silky pa- 
per we ol)tain from India. It serves equally well for 
the pencil as paper. Ink, however, llows upon it. 
In the course of time a medium n»ay be discovered 
to preclude this inconvenience ; this bark will pre- 
serve better than paper. 

The company, not apprehending the reverses that 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 29 

fortune had in store for them, left the encampment. 
(September 30th,) full of courage and hope, though 
a strong drift of snow, which whitened all the sur- 
rounding hills, had fallen during the night. Having 
smooth water, we paddled away merrily, probably 
for thirty miles. Getchel, besides his sheer wisdom, 
possessed a large fund of knowledge concerning the 
country, which he had derived from the aborigines, 
and much humorous anecdote, with which, in spite 
of our privations, he made us laugh. It was onnt- 
ted to be mentioned, that before we le!t our last en- 
campment, it became a^ resolution of the whole par- 
ty, that tfie pork in the possession of each one, should 
be eaten raw, and to be ate but in the morning and 
evening. As we could not obtain food in this miser- 
able portion of the globe, even lor money, if we had 
had it, and having- nothinor else than our arms and our 
courage to depend on : unacquainted with the true 
distance of our expedition, for we had neither map 
nor chart, yet resolved to accomplish our orders at 
the hazard of our lives — we prudentl}^ began to hoard 
our provision. Half a biscuit and half an inch square 
of raw pork, be^•ame this evening's meal. I'he 
day's journey brought us to the foot, of a rapid, whicli 
convinced us that I he term " Dead River" was much 
misapplied. The night was spent, not upon feath- 
ers, but the branches of the fir or the spruce. It 
would astonish you, my dear children, if there was 
leisure to explain to you the many comforts and ad- 
vantages those trees afford to the way-worn traveller. 
Suffice it now to say, w^e rested well. 

October 1st. The morning brought on new la- 
bors. Our secondary guide and myself, thinking that 
we could manage the water, slipped into our canoe. 
Getchel and another worked Steele's, while our com- 
panions, crossing the hill, marked the carrying-place. 
3* 



90 CAMPAIGN 

From our camp, two-thirds at least of these rapids, 
were concealed from our view. In much danger, 
and by great exertion, we surmounted tliem in less 
than an hour. Taking in our compan}^, we had good 
water till the evening, when \ve were impeded by a 
precipitate fall of four feet. We encaniped. Octo- 
ber 2d. Carrying here, we liad good wafer all the 
next day ; mere fatigue and great lassitude of body 
most likely caused us to sleep well. From cautiona- 
ry motives our guns, though not uncaied for, were 
considered as useless, in the way of obtaining food. 
Several of our company angled successfully for trout, 
and a delicious chub, which we call a fall-tish. This 
place became remarkable to me, as sometime after- 
wards, my friends General Simpson, Rol>ert Dixon, 
with myself, were here at the point of death. This 
you will find in the sequel. Carrying a few perches 
around this precipice, we got into good water, and 
then performed a severe day's labor. 

October 3d. The evening brought us to our en- 
campment, on the south side of the river. Angling 
was resorted to for food. vSergeant Boyd, observing 
low ground on the other side of the river, and an un- 
common coldness in the water, passed over, and in an 
hour returned with a dozen trout, of extraordinary 
appearance, long, broad, and thick. The skin was 
of a very dark hue, beautifully sprinkled with deep 
crimson spots. Boyd had caught these in a large and 
deep spring-head. Contrasting them with those wo 
caught in the river, they were evidently of a differ- 
ent species. The river trout were of a pale ground, 
with pink spots, and not so flat or broad. The next 
day, proceeding onward, we here and there met with 
re ugh water. In the evening we were told, that on 
the next day we probably should arrive at the camp 
of Natanis, an Indian, whom our commander was 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 



81 



instructed to capture or kill. Natanis waswell known 
to the white inhabitants of the lower country ; they 
knew hijn from the geographical position of his resi- 




NATANIS, IN SEMI-BARBARIAN COSTUME. 

dence. The uninstructed Indian, if he possesses 
good sense, necessaiily from his wanderings as a hun- 
ter, becomes a geographer. This good man, (as wa 



S2 CAMPAIGN 

subsequently knew him to be,) had been wrongfully 
accused to Araold, as a spy, stationed on this river to 
give notice to the Brilish government, of any party 
passing this way into Canada : hence that cruel or- 
der. 

Oct. 4th. We landed some miles below where we 
supposed his house was. Our canoes were brought 
upon the shore and committed to the care of two of 
the party. We arrived at the house of INatanis, af- 
ter a march, probably of three niiles, over a flatcown- 
try covered with pines, &.c. Approaching on all sides 
with the utmost circumspection, we ran quickly to 
tlie cabin, our rifl<^s prepared, and in full belief that 
we had caught Natanis. Some were persuaded, at 
the distance of 200 yards from (he place, that they 
saw the smoke of his fire. But the bird was flown. 
He was wiser and more adroit than his assailants, as 
you will afierwards learn. The iiouse was prettily 
placed on a bank twenty feet high, about 20 yards 
from tlie river, and a grass plat extended around, at 
more than shooting distance for a lifle, free from tim- 
ber and underwood. The house, for an Indian cab- 
in, was clean and tight, with two doors, one fronting 
the river, the other on the opposite side. We found 
as would not be totally abandoned by the owner — 
many articles of Indian fabrication, evidently such 
besides, it was remarked that the coals on the hearth, 
from their appearance, had been burning at least with- 
in a week past. '^Fhese notions did not allay our ap- 
prehensions of meeting with Indian enemies. The 
canoes, in the meantime having been brought up, 
we embarked and proceeded with alacrity. This af- 
ternoon, in a course of some miles, we came to a 
stream flowing from the west, or rather the north- 
west. As we were going along in uncertainty, part- 
ly inclined to take the westerly stream, one of the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 83 

paity fortunately saw a strong stake which had been 
driven down at the edge of the water, with a piece 
of neatly folded birch bark, inserted intoasplitat the 
top. The bark, as it was placed, pointed up the wes- 
terly stream, which, at its mouth, seemed to contaia 
more w^ater than our true cour:r;e. Our surprize and 
attention was much heightened, when opening the 
bark, we perceived a very perfect delineation of the 
streams above us, with several marks which must 
have denoted the hunting camps, or real abodes of 
the map-maker. There were some lines, in a direc- 
tion from the head of one branch to that of anoth- 
er, which we took to be the course of the paths that 
the Indians intended to take that season. This map 
we attributed to Natanis, or to his brother, Sabatis, 
who, as we afterwards knew, lived about seven 
miles up this westerly stream. For when our party, 
after returning to the twelve mile carrying-place, had 
again re-ascended the river, we w^ere told, by the crew 
of one of Morgan's boats, that they had mistaken 
the westerl}'^ stream as the due route, and had found 
deserted cabins at the distance already mentioned, 
and the property of the late inhabitant?, placed in a 
kind of close cage, made of birch bark in the forks 
of the trees ; these they most iniquitously plundered. 
Venison, corn, kettles, (fee. were the product. In- 
specting the map thus acquired, we pursued our jour- 
ney fearlessly. Now the river became narrower and 
i-liallower. The strength of each of us was exert- 
ed at poling or paddling the canoes. Some rapid wa- 
ter interfered, but in a few days we came to the first 
))ond at tiie head of the Dead River. October 7th. 
This first pond, in the course of the traverse we made 
might be about a mile, or a little more, in diameter. 
Here, on a small island, scarcely containing a fourth 
of an acre, we discovered and ate a delicious species 



64 CAMPAIGN 

of cranberry, entirely new to lis. It grew upon bush- 
es fron) ten to twelve feet liis^h. the stock of thethick- 
ness of the thumb, and the fruit was as large as a 
May-duke cherry. In the course of one or two miles, 
we reached a second pond. Between this pond and 
the third, we carried ; the communication, though 
not long, was too shallow for our canoes. The car- 
rying-place was excessively rugged, and in high wa- 
ter, formed a part of the Led of the stream. The 
country around us had now become very mountain- 
ous and rough. Several of these mountains seemed 
to stand on insulated bases, and one in particular, 
formed a most beautiful cone, of an immense height. 
We rested for the evening. 

October 8th. We arrived near the height of land 
which divides the waters of New-England from those 
of Canada, which run into the St. Lawrence. The 
weather, in consequence of the approaching winter, 
had hecome piercingly cold. My wardiobe was scan- 
ty and light. It consisted of a roundabout jacket, of 
woollen, a pair of half-worn buckskin hreeches, two 
pairs of woollen stockings, (bought at Newburyport,) 
a hat with a feather, a hunting-shirt, leggins, a pair 
of mockasins, and a pair of tolerably good shoes, 
which had been closely lioarded. 

We set out early, yet jovially. We entered a lake 
surrounded by high and craggy mountains, and per- 
pendicular rocks of very considerable altitude, which 
about 11 o'clock, A. M. cast us into a dusky shade. 
Pidling the paddle, as for life, to keep myself warm, 
some trifling observation, which fell from me, relative 
to the place we were in, such as its resemblance to the 
vale of death, drew the attention of the company. 
Getchel, in his dry way, turning toward me, said, 
" Johnny, you look like a blue leather whetstone." 
The simplicity and oddity of the expression, and the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 89 

gravity of his manner, caused great merriment at my 
expense : it was enjoyed on my part, certain that it 
was not an expression of disesteem, but affection, for 
the man Uked me. These minim tales and jejune 
occurrences are related to convey to your minds an 
idea how men of true spirit will beard death in every 
shape, even, at times, w^itii laughter, to effectuate a 
point of duty which is considered essential to the 
welfare of their country. Thus we went on, inces- 
santly laboring without sustenance, until we came, 
about 3 o'clock, to the extreme end of a fifth and the 
last lake. This day's voyage might amount to fif- 
teen or twenty miles. * 

On this lake we obtained a full view of those hillg 
which were then, and are now, called the " Height 
of Land." It made an impression upon us that was 
really more cliilling than the air v/hich surrounded 
us. We hurried ashore — drew out our canoes, and 
covered them with leaves and brush-wood. This 
done, with our aims in our hands, and our provisions 
in our pockets, w^e made a race across the mountain, 
by an Indian path, easily ascertainable, until we ar- 
rived on the bank of the Chaudiere river. The dis- 
tance is about five miles, counting the rising and de- 
scent of the hill as two. This was the acme of our 
desires. To discover and know^ the course of this 
river was the extent of our orders: beyond it we had 
nothing to do. Our chief, wishing to do every thing 
a good officer could to forward the service, asked if 
any one could climb a tree, around the foot of which 
we then stood. It was a pine of considerable height, 
without branches for forty feet. Robert Cunning- 
ham, a strong, athletic man, about twenty-five years 
old, presented himself In almost the twinkling of 
an eye, he chmbed the tree. He fully discerned the 
meandering course of the river, as upon a map, and 



86 CAMPAIGN 

even descried the lake Chaudiere, at a distance of 
fourteen or fifteen miles. Tiie country around and 
between us and the lake, was flat. Looking west- 
ward, he observed a smoke ; intimating this to us, 
from the tree wliere he sat, we plainly perceived it. 
Cunningham came down ; the sun was setting ap- 
parently in a clear sk}^ 

Now our return commenced. It so occurred that I 
was in the rear, next to Getchel, who brought it up. 
We ran in single file, and while it was light, it was 
observed by me, as we tied to stride into the footsteps 
of the leader, that he covered the (rack with his feet ; 
this was no mean duty. It required the courage, the 
vigor, and the wisdom whichdesignates genuine man- 
hood. Our object was to be concealed from a knowl- 
edge of any one who might communicate our pres- 
ence there, to (he Canadian government. The race 
was urged, and became more rapid by the indications 
of a storm of rain : we had scarcely reached more 
than half way up the hill, when the shower came 
down in most tremendous torrents. The night be- 
came dark as pitch ; we groped the way across the 
ridge, and in descending, relying on the accuracy of 
our leader, w^e continued with speed. The piecipice 
was very steep; a root, a twig, perhaps, caught the 
buckle of my shoe ; I tripped, and came down head 
foremost, unconscious how far, but perhaps twenty or 
thirty feet. How my gun remained unbroken, it is 
impossible to say. When I recovered, it was in my 
hands. My companions had out-stripped me. Stun- 
ned by the fall, feeling for the path with my feet, 
my arrival at the canoe-place Avas delayed (ill ten at 
night, an hour and more later than my friends. An 
erection called a tent, but more correctly a wigwam, 
was made in the hurry with forks and cross-poles, 
covered with the bmnch«s of &i\ It rained iuces- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 87 

santly all that night. If the clothes we wore had 
heen dry, they would have become wet; so we laid 
down in all tliose we had on. Sleep came to my 
eyes, notwithstanding the peltings of the pitiless 
storm through the humble roof. 

October 9th. We arose before day. The canoes 
were urged suddenly into the water, it still raining" 
hard, and at day light we thought of breakfasting. 
Gracious God! what was our fare? What could 
we produce for such a feast ? Rummaging my pan- 
taloons pockets, I found a solitary biscuit and an inch 
of pork. Half of the bjscuit was devoted to the 
breakfast, and so also by each person ; and that was 
consumed in the canoes as we paddled over the lake. 
The rain had raised the lake, and consequently the 
outlets, about four feet. We slid glibly along, over 
passages where a few days previous, we had carried 
our canoes. At the outlet of the fourth lake, count- 
ing as we came up, a small duck appeared within 
shooting distance. It was a diver, well known in our 
country — a thing which we here contemn. Know- 
ing the value of animal food, in our predicament, sev- 
eral of us fired at the diver : Jesse Wheeler, how- 
ever, (whom all acknowledged an excellent shot,) 
struck it with his ball. A shout of joy arose — the 
little diver was safely deposited in our canoe. We 
went on quickly, without accident, till the evening, 
probably traversing a space of more than forty milea. 
At night-fall we halted, weary and without tasting 
food since morning. Boyd and Cunningham, who 
were right-hand-men on most occasions, soon kindled 
a fire against a fallen tree. An occurrence this eve- 
ning took place, which my dear children you will 
hardly credit, but which, (permit me to assure you,) 
is sacredly true. The company sat themselves gloom- 
ily around the fire; the cooks, according to routine, 
4. 



88 CAMPAIGN 

(whether our chief or others,) picked the cluck, and 
when picked and dressed, it was brought to the fiie- 
side. Here ii, becanje a (|ueslion, iiow lo make the 
most of our slock of provisions. Finally it was con- 
cluded to boil the duck in our camp-kettle, togeiiier 
with each man's bit of pork, distinct ly marked by 
running a small skewer of wood through it, w ith his 
particular and private designation. Tliat the broth 
thus formed, should be the supper, and the duck on 
the ensuing morning should be the breakfast, and 
which should be distributed by "whose shall be 
this. ' Strange as this tale may appear to you, in 
these times, the agreement was religiously performed. 
Being young, my appetite was ravenous as that of a 
wolf, but honor bound tlie stomach tight. 

We rose early, and eacli person selected his bit of 
pork, which made but a single mouthful — there was 
no controvers}^ The diver was parted most fairly, 
into ten shares, each one eyeing the integrity of the 
division. Lieutenant Steele causing (he "turning 
of the back," the lottery gave me a victory over my 
respectable friend Cunningham. His share was the 
head and the feet, mine one of the thighs. Hungry 
and miserable as we were, even this was sport to us. 
In fact, we were sustained by a flattering hope that we 
should soon meet our friends, " the army." 

Setting out early on the 10th of October, by the 
evening we made nearly fifty miles. The bit of pork 
and the rest of the biscuit became my supper. My 
colleagues were similarly situated. The morning 
sun saw us without any food. We did not despond. 
The consolatory idea that on that, or the next day, 
we should certainly join the army, infused energy in- 
to our minds and bodies. Yet being without food, 
though we loved each other, every endearment which 
binds man to man was, as it were, forgotten, in a pro- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 89 

found silence. After a long day's journey, still we 
were supperless. 

Tlie succeeding- morning. (11th,) starting early, 
we ran at a monstrous rate. The waters, by addi- 
tional rains above, had risen greatly. By ten or e- 
leven o'clock, A. M. we obseived a great smoke be- 
fore us, which from its extent, we could ascribe to 
nothing else than the encampujent, of the army, our 
friends and fellow-soldiers. After some time, the light 
canoo, several hundred yards before us, (with Steele 
and Getchel in it,) passed between the forks of a 
tree, which lay rooted in the middle of tlie stream, 
where most likely it had" lain for many years. All 
its branches had been worn away by the annual Mic- 
tion of the ice or waters, except those which formed 
the fork, and they stood directly against the current, 
nearly a foot out of water, and ten or more feet a- 
part. Seeing our hiends pass through safely, and be- 
ing unconscious that we were worse or less adventu- 
rous watermen than they were, we risked it. We 
ran with gieat velocity. My good Irishman steered. 
Bv an unlucky stroke of some one of our paddles, 
(for each of us had one,) but from his situation and 
power over the vessel it was fairly atiributable to the 
steersman, the canoe was thrown a little out of its 
true course, just as it was entering the prongs of the 
fork. Trifling as this may appear to you, to us it 
was the signal of death. One of the prongs took the 
right hand side of the canoe, within six inches of the 
bow, immediately below the gunwale. Q,uick as 
lightning that side of the canoe was laid open from 
sten) to stern, and water was gushing in upon us that 
would inevitably have sunk us in a second of time, 
but for that interference of Providence which isathe- 
isiically called presence of mind. Otherwise a host 
of men could not haye saved us from a watery grave. 



.40 CAMPAIGN 

Instinctively leaning to the left, we sunk the gun- 
wale of that side down to the water's edge, by which 
we raised the broken side an inch and more out of 
it. Calling loudly to our companions ahead, they 
Boon saw our distress, and put in at the great smoke. 
Carefully and steadily sitting, and gently paddling, 
many hundred yards, we landed safely. Here was 
no army, no friends, no food — only a fiiendly fire, 
kindled by ourselves as we ascended the river ; it had 
been our camp. The fire we had made had scarce- 
ly more I ban smoked, but now it had crept into the 
turfy soil, and among the roots of trees, and was 
spread over half an acre. Our situation was truly 
horrible. When we had examined the broken ca- 
noe, and had rummaged both, for the means of re- 
pairing it, every heart seemed dismayed. Our birch 
bark and pitch had been exhausted in former repairs 
— we were without food — perhaps one hundred miles 
from the army, or perhaps that army had returned 
to New England. That sensation of the mind call- 
ed " the horrors," seemed to prevail. Getchel alone 
was really sedate and reflective. He ordered the oth- 
er guide to search for birch bark, whilst he would 
look among the pines for turpentine. We followed 
the one or tiie other of these worthies, according to 
inclination, and soon returned with the desired mate- 
rials. The cedar root was in plenty under our feet. 
Now a difficulty occurred, which had been unfore- 
seen, and which w^as seemingly destructive of all hope. 
This was the w^ant of fat or oil of every kind, with 
which to make the turpentine into pitch. A lucky 
thought occurred to the youngest of the company, 
that the pork bag lay empty and neglected in one of 
the canoes. The thought and the act of bringing it 
were instantaneous. The bag was ripped, and as if 
it had beea so much gold dust, we scraped from it a- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 41 

bont a pint of dirty fat. Getchel now prepared an 
abundance of pitch. The cedar root gave uj^ twine. 
The canoe was brought up to the fire. We found 
every rib except a few at tlie extreme points, actual- 
ly torn from the gunwale. All hands set to work — 
two iiours afterwards, the canoe was borne to the wa- 
ter. 

We embarked, and proceeding cautiously, as we 
thouu^ht, along the shore, (for we dared not yet, with 
our craga;^y vessel, venture into deep water,) a snag, 
standing up stream, struck through the bottom of the 
canoe. This ac'ident happened about five hundred 
yards from the fire. We put back with heavy hearts 
and great difficulty — our friends followed. It took an 
hour to patch the gap. The cup of sorrow was not 
yet full. As the men were hearing the wounded ca- 
noe to the water, Sergeant Boyd who paddled in the 
small canoe, which was drawn up as usual, taking 
hold of the how, raised it waist high, (as was tight,) 
intending to slide it gently into the water — the bank 
was Sleep and slippery, and Oh ! my dearchildien, you 
cannot conceive the dread and honor the succeeding 
part of this scene produced in our minds. Mr. B<^yd's 
feet slipp. d — the canoe fell from his hands — its own 
weight falling upon the cavity formed by the decliv- 
ity of the bank and the water — broke it in the cen- 
tre into two pieces, which were held together by no- 
thing but the gunwale. Now absolute despair for 
the first time seized me. A thought came across my 
mind, that the Almighty had destined us to die of 
hunger in this inhospitable wilderness. The recol- 
lection of my parents, my brothers and sister, and 
the clandestine and cruel manner of my deserting 
them, drew from me some hidden, yet burning tears, 
and much mental contrition. This was unknown, 

unseen, and unheard by any but Him who is present 

4* 



43 CAMPAIGN 

every where, and sees our inmost thoughts. Getch- 
el, (comparing small things with great, who much 
resembled Homer's description of Ulysses, in his per- 
son, and whose staid and sober wisdom and foresight 
also bore a likeness to the talents of that hero,) re- 
signed, yet thouglitful and active, instantly went to 
work. The canoe was brought to the fire, and pla- 
ced in a proper posture for the operation. The la- 
cerated parts were neatly brought together, and sewed 
with cedar root. A large ridge of pitch, as is cus- 
tomary in the construction of this kind of water craft, 
was laid over the seam to make it water-tight. Over 
the seam a patch of strong bark a foot in width, and 
of a length sufficient to encircle the bottom, even to 
the gunwales, was sewed down at the edges and pitch- 
ed. Again over the whole of the work it was thought 
prudent to place our pork bag, \^ hich w as well satu- 
rated with liquid fat. It was a full yard wide, and 
was laid down in the same rnarmer. This work, 
which was laborious, nearly consumed the rest of the 
day. 

We set out notwithstanding the lateness of the 
hour, and would it is likely iiavegone all night, well 
knowing the water below to be good, but for an en- 
livening occurrence, Vvhich soon after happened. Hun- 
ger drove us along at a cautious but rapid rate. The 
sterility of the country above had afforded us no 
game, neither moose, bear, nor wolf: nothing in short 
but the diver and a red pine squirrel, which was too 
email and quick to be killed by a bullet. These 
squirrels did not much exceed in size our striped 
ground squirrel. About dusk the lieutenant's canoe, 
four hundred yards before us, had within view lurn- 
ed a sharp point ot land, when we heard the crack 
of a rifle, and presently another and a huzza. Ap- 
prehending an attack fiom an enemy, we pulled hard 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 4S 

to be enabled to support our friends. In a moment 
or two, observing them pulling for the north shore, 
which was steep, we looked up it for the enemy. 
Good Heavens ! what a sight ! We saw a moose- 
deer falling on the top of the bank. A cry of exul- 
tation seemed to burst the narrow valley of the riv- 
er. Steele had struck the deer in the flank, as it 
w^as leavina: the water, but it sprung up ihe bank with 
agility. Wheeler, wi(h better fortune for us all, pier- 
ced its heart as it arrived at the top. Seeing this, 
you can scarcely imagine the celerity or our move- 
ments. We were ashore in a moment. A fire was 
kindled — the secondary guide cut off the nose and 
upper lip of the animal, instantly, and had it on the 
fire. What a feast ! But we were prudent. We 
sat up all night, selecting the fat and tit-bits — frying, 
roasting, boiling and broiling. Towards morning 
we slept a few hours, absolutely careless of conse- 
quences. We knew that we had arrived in a land 
where game was plentiful, and where there were no 
foes superior to our number, to oppose us. 

Oct. 12. — W^e rose after sunrise, and began, accor- 
ding to practice, to examine and prepare our guns. 
Prepared, mine was placed against a tree ; my duty, 
in course, was of the culinary kind. George Tder- 
chant. my coadjutor, had gone to the river for water. 
He ran back, seized his own gun, and intimated that 
a bull moose was swimming acioss the river towards 
the camp. We jumped to our arms — it so happened 
that my station was rearward. The enormous ani- 
mal was coming towards us, and not more than fifty 
paces off, his head and horns only above water. The 
sight was animating. Wheeler and some others fir- 
ed at his head, but without eflfect. The extieme 
desire they had to possess so noble a prey, probably 
caused a tremor of the hand, or that part of his body 



44 CAMPAIGN 

was impenetrable to our small balls, which is most 
likely. The moose turned and swam \o ihe oppo- 
site bank. Having got to ihe verge of the river, his 
eirierging was awaited. My ball struck precisely 
where it ought to kill. The huge animal rose the 
bank by several boggling leaps, but seemed unknow- 
ing which way to run. We thought he would fall. 
Wheeler, and some others, getting into the canoes, 
pursued him by liis blood half a mile. When Whee- 
ler returned he overloaded me wirh praises for the 
accuracy of the shot, and was confident thaM he deer 
was killed. We had no time to spare. We feasted 
till noon, and in the iniermediaie moments culled 
the entrails for the fat : we even broke the bones and 
extracted the marrow, under the full persuasion that 
food of an oily nature is one of the strongest main- 
stays of human life. Of this principle, if we had a 
doubt, we were shortly afterwards most irrefragably 
convinced. We departed from our camp joyously, 
untortured by the tear of starving: our canoe sunk 
deep by the weight of our venison. Running some, 
miles and suddenly doubling a point, we saw a large 
grey wolf sitting on his haunches — he was fired at, 
but the distance was too great. He escaped. Look- 
ing down the river we saw^ a moose swimming from 
the main to an island ; it was soon brought down. 
It proved to be young — of about 3U0 pounds weight. 
Its ears and flanks were much torn by the wolf. It 
constituted veal in our larder. The choice parts 
were deposited in the canoes — the residue was at the 
disposal of the wolf. 

The following morning, (October 13th,) embark- 
ed early. After noon we arrived at our first encamp- 
ing ground on the " Dead River," in good health and 
spirits, though pallid and weak for the want of sub- 
stantial food in due quantity. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 46 

By this time the fat and marrow of the animal we 
had killed, were exhausted, and our stock of salthad 
been long since expended. One who has never been 
deprived of bread and salt, nor known the absence 
of oleao^inous substances in his food, cannot make a 
true estimate of the invaluable benefits of such mgre- 
dients, in the sustenation of the bodily frame ; nor of 
the extremity of our corporeal debility. 

We ascended the bank, which is sleep, and about 
fourteen feet high, carrying our baggage, arms and 
venison, leisurely, by piecemeal. The canoes, be- 
ing too heavy for our strength, were secured below, 
in the water, by withes. Jtw^as immediately conclu- 
ded to preserve our provisions by jerking. This op- 
eration is done by slicing the meat into thin ships. 
Then driving four forks into the earth, in a square 
position, at the required distance perpendiculaily. and 
laying poles from fork to fork, and poles athwart from 
pole to pole. A rack is thus made, about four feet 
high, on which thesliced meat is laid, and snioke-fres 
aie made underneath. This duty was soon perform- 
ed. We now began to look about us, and discuss the 
subject of our return to the army, which we had, be- 
fore this time, persuaded ourselves we should meet at 
this place. The non-appearance of the artny, and 
our distress induced a conclu^^ion that we were desert- 
ed and abandoned to a diastrous fate, the inevitable 
result of wh;ch would be a sinking into eternity for 
want of food ; for though we might have killed more 
deer, the vigor of our bodies was so reduced that we 
were convinced that that kind of food could not re- 
store us to our wonted energy, and enable us to per- 
form so rugged and lotig a march as that to the fron- 
tiers of Maine. The notion of navigating the riv- 
er was scouted as a fallacy, because we did not pos- 
sess a sufficient degree of bodily force to bear the ca- 



46 CAMPAIGN 

noes across the twelve-mile carrying-place. As, in 
the case of (he retreat of the army, we had deter- j 
mined to follow, it became necessary to finish the' 
jeiking, which would take six days, to make it the 
more portable for our feebleness, and preservable if we 
should have wet weatlier on the march. It was fur- 
ther cot)chided, "That Lieutenant Steele, Gefchel 
and Wheeler, should immediately proceed on foot a- 
cross the twelve mile carrying-place, to meet the ar- 
my. If they did meet it, that they should return to 
us with supplies by the end of three days, but in all 
events to return." Having no doubt of the honor of 
those gentlemen, the rest of the party remained, 
cheerfully jerking the meat. Now we experienced 
the full extent of a new species of starving. Hav- 
ing neither bread, nor salt, nor fat of any kind, ev- 
ery day we remained here we became more and more 
weak and emaciated. We had plenty of meat, both 
fresh and dried, of which we ate four, five and six 
times a day, in every shape we had the means of 
dressing it. Though we gorged the stomach, the ap- 
petite was unsatiated. Something like a diarrhoea 
ensued, which contributed to the imbecility of our 
bodies. Bear's oil would have made our venison sa- 
voury, but such an animal as a bear, we had not as 
yet seen in all our wanderings. On the evening of 
the fourth day, we looked out for our absent compan- 
ions with much heartfelt anxiety. They came not. 
On the morning of the next day, we consulted up- 
on the question whether we should follow the army. 
A majoiity voted for staying a few days longer to 
complete the jerking. To shew you the great bodi- 
ly weakness we were brought to, it may be proper to 
relate the following anecdote as more evincive of the 
fact than any other method which might be adopt- 
ed, to bring it fully to your minds. Sergeant Boyd, 



AGAINSt QU£BEC. 4T 

(the strongest and stoutest man of the party, and per- 
haps of the army.) and myself, taking our arms^ de- 
scended into a canoe, and passed the river, to the 
mouth of «he creek before mentioned, intending to go 
to the next pond on the carrying-place, there to nieetj 
as we hoped, the advance of the army. We stag- 
gered along through the plain, falling every nowand 
then, if our toes but touched a twig or tuft of grass. 
Thus going forward, we arrived at the e{]ge of the 
moss bog, which is mentioned as we ascend<d the riv- 
er, and which is one and a half, or two miles from 
the pond. Here my worthy friend Boyd, unable to 
proceed, sunk down upon a log. My seat, in tears 
of excruciating grief, was laken beside him, endeav- 
oring to infuse comfort and courage into his manly 
mind. It was in vain. The debility of his body had 
disarmed his courageous soul. Every art in my pow- 
er was exercised to induce him to pass the bog. He 
Avould not listen to me on the subject. Melancholy, 
of the desperate kind, oppressed me. Convinced that 
the army had retreated, a prognostication fastened on 
my mind, that we should all die of mere debility in 
these wilds. We sat an hour. At length we agreed 
to return to our camp, though it was yet early in the 
afternoon. Our companions were pleased to see us^ 
thinking our coming so soon indicated good new^s, 
but a gloom of desperation followed. As a last ef- 
fort to save our lives, we all agreed to pass the river 
next morning and follow the army, which we were 
now assured had returned to Fort Western. Each 
one put into his knapsack as much of our mawkish 
food as he could conveniently carry. 

Oct. 17. — We started early, passed the river, hut 
from mere inability to carry our canoes, left them be- 
hind us, at the bank of the creek, marching forward, 
as fast as our feeble limbs could arry us. When we 



48 CAMPAIGN 

came to the log where Boyd had seated himself, we 
were filled with extatic joy to observe on tlie^far side 
of tfie bog, a party of pioneers forming a causeway 
for the passage of the army. Our strength redoub- 
led — we passed the bog with considerable speed. Our 
wan and haggard faces, and meagre bodies, and \he 
monstrous beards of my companions, who had neg- 
lected to carry a razor with tfiem, seemed to strike a 
deep sorrow into the hearts of the pioneers. They 
gave us a little of their food, but what exhilerated us 
more, was the information tliat Major Febiger, with 
the advanced guard, lay at the next pond. We ur- 
ged forward as fast as we could. Arriving at his 
fire a little before my company, an incapacity to 
stand compelled me to sit. Febiger, in a hurried 
manner, asked who we were I and from whence we 
came ? A few words explained the mystery, and the 
cause of our distress. A glistening tear stood in this 
brave soldier's eye. As it were with a sudden and 
involuntary motion and much tenderness, he handed 
me his wooden canteen, (which contained the last 
spirits in the army,) from me it passed to Cunning- 
ham, who had just cotTie up, the most ghastly and 
way-worn figure in nature ; from him it went round 
to the rest, who arrived gradually, but slowly. The 
heart of Febiger seemed overjoyed at the relief he 
had and could afford us. The liquor had restored 
our fainting spirits, but this was not enough for his 
generosity to exhibit. He requested us to take seats 
around the fire and wait the boiling of his kettle, 
which was well replenished with pork and dumplins. 
This was all devoted to our use, accompanied by an 
open heartedness and the kindest expressions of in- 
terest for our sufferings, and regard for our perseve- 
rance in our duty as military men. This meal to all 
of us seemed a renewal of life. It was accustomed 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 4& 

food.- Pebiger, ere this time, was unknown to ns, 
but in the process of events he acquired our esteem 
and entire confidence, as a friend and a real soldier. 
Our more immediate and intimate friends were still 
beyond the pond, but coming forward. By-and-by 
Mo^'gan came — large, a commanding aspect, and 
stentorian voice. He wore leggins and a cloth, in the 
Indian style. His thighs, which were exposed to 
view, appeared to have been lacerated by the thorns 
and bushes. He knew our story from Wheeler and 
(Steele, and greeted us kindly. We now found our- 
selves at home, in the bosom of a society of brave 
men, with whom we were not only willing, but anx- 
ious to meet the brunts of war. This was the 26th 
day we had been absent from the army. In the eve- 
ning we resumed our stations in our respective mes- 
ses. It was now fully explained to us why Steele had 
not brought us relief. He had met the advance of 
the army on the Kennebeck side of the carrying- 
place. Always alert and indefatigable when any du- 
ty was to be done, the labors of the men in carrying 
boats, barrels of flour, <fec. were intolerable, and re- 
quired the strength and athletic exertions of the offi- 
cers, and particularly such as Lieutenant St-eele, to 
enliven them in their duty. In bearing a heavy bur- 
den over ruc{ged ground, he fell and sprained or dis- 
located his shoulder. Notwithstanding this accident, 
he had sent us supj)lies, but the bearers, either from 
cowardice or other cause, never came near us. Getch- 
el and Wheeler had other duties to attend to — they 
were under immediate command. We also discover- 
ed from Steele that Clifton and M'Konkey, soon af- 
ter w^e left them, had deserted their post, carryinsrall 
they could on their backs, to meet the army. The 
dastardly vices of the latter prevailing over the known 
courage, good sense, and sedate age of the former. - 
5 



50 CAMPAIGlV 

Nothing occurs to me contributory to the fame o{ 
these men afterwards. The first was an invalid, the 
latter a caitiff coward. In your scanning the char- 
acters of men, which you will be comp lied to do in 
your own defence in the course of your lives, a good 
general rule for you to adopt will be: That whether 
you be in the company of military men, scholars, 
men of the law, legislators, (fee. &:c. in short, persons 
of any profession or class, if you find a person very 
loquacious — dragging the conversation to himself, 
and in a dictatoiial way taking the lead ; but more 
especially if he talks of his own prowess, deep read- 
ing, causes he has gained, eloquence, &c. ifcc. but 
still more so if the party boasts of wealth and ances- 
try — in the first instance, without hesitation, set such 
a person down in your memory as a baggadocio, a 
mere puffer, until you can inquire fuither for proof to 
the contrary. There are, to my knowledge, excep- 
tions to tliis general rule, but few in number, partic- 
ularly in the military class. 

October 18th. — Now we again turned our faces to- 
wards the north. Having rejoined our messmates, 
enjoying substantial food and warm tents, we soon 
recruited a good degree of strength, and our former 
gaiety of temper and hilarity returned to us. We ac- 
companied the army, and became guides in minute 
matters ; for the paths and carrying-places we had 
sufficiently developed for Captain Ay res and his pi- 
oneers, by strong blazing and snagging of the bush- 
es, so that he might proceed in perfect security, in the 
performance of the duties of his office. '^J'he thiee 
cornpanies of riflemen under Morgan took up our old 
encamping ground on the Dead River, during the af- 
ternoon of the following day. 

Oct. 19th and 2()th. — Here we lay encamped for 
several days, waiting the arrival of the rear of the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 61 

New England troops : they came up hourly. Du- 
ring- our stay here, it pleased me internally to observe 
that Morgan adopted certain rules of discipline, ab- 
solutely necessary to the stale we were in, but dis- 
cordant with the wild and extravagant notions of our 
private men. Powder and ball, particularly i he first, 
to us riflemen, was of the first consequence. At 
Cambridge the horns belonging to the irten were 
filled with an excellent rifle powder — which, when 
expended, could not be replaced in Canada by any 
powder of an equal quality. The men had got into 
a habit of throwing it away at every trifling object, 
Upon our return from the Chaudiere, this circuu)- 
stance raised disgust in us : for we had been studi- 
ously caieful of our ammunition, never firing but at 
some object that would give us the means of subsis- 
tence. Though we drew our loads every morningj 
from a fear of the dampness of the atmosphere, yet 
the ball and powder were never lost. Our bullet- 
screws brought the first out with ease, and it was re- 
cast : the latter was carefully returned to the horn, 
where, if moist, it soon became dry. Morgan's prin- 
cipal rules were, that there should be no straggling 
from the camp ; and no firing without authoritative 
permission. Reasonable as these injunctioris were, 
they were opposed. Being young, and my friend 
Steele absent, a whisper of approbation did not fall 
from me, which, in my subordinate station, might 
have been indelicate. It was left to the energy of 
Morgan's mind, and he conquered. During our rest- 
ing here, Arnold, accompanied by Steele and some 
excellent boatmen, proceeded to the head of the riv- 
er. The rifle corps preceded the main body of the 
army, both by land and water. The boats, which 
were heavily laden with baggage and provisions, took 
in no more men than were necessary to navigate 



52 CAMPAIGN 

them, that is, three to a boat. The remainder of the 
army marched by land, the river being" generally their 
guide. 

Here, my dear children, permit me to give you the 
genuine character of my friend General Simpson, 
whom you all know personally. He was among my 
earliest and best friends. He was then as apparent- 
ly eccentric as he is at this time : there is do obvious 
difference in his manner between the two periods. — 
As an officer, he was always active and keen in the 
performance of his duty. Hard was the service ; but 
his heart was soft to his friend. Simpson invited his 
messmate aboard his boat, being still soniewhat fee- 
ble from our late privations ; the invitation was glad- 
ly accepted. 

Oct. 21 St. — We embarked. Having Lieut. Simp- 
son for a steersman, and John l^idd and Jas. Dough- 
erty as boatmen, we went gaily on tor that and the 
next day : able to lead any boat in the river. 

Oct. 22d. — On the evening of this second day, 
we encamped on a bank eight or nine feet high, at a 
place where we had rested when ascending the river 
the first time. In the evening a most heavy torrent 
of rain fell upon us, which continued all night. Hav- 
ing now a good tent over our heads, the inconveni- 
ence was not nmch felt. We slept soundly. To- 
wards morning we were awakened by the water that 
flowed in upon us Irom the river. We lied to high 
ground. 

Oct. 23d. — When morning came, the river present- 
ed a most frightful aspect : it had risen at least eight 
feet, and flowed with terrifying rapidity. None but 
the most strong and active boatmen enteied the boats. 
The army marched on tiie south side of the river, 
making large circuits to avoid the overflowings of the 
intervale or bottom lands. This was one of the moat 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 6^ 

fatiguing marches we had as yet performed, though 
the distance was not great in a direct line. But hav- 
ing no path, and l^eing necessiated to climb tlie steep- 
est hiils, ;ind that without food, for we took none with 
us, thinking the boats would be near us all day ; in 
the evening we arrived at the fall of four feet, which 
was mentioned when ascending the river. Alas ! all 
the boats of the army were on the opposite side of 
the river. The pitch of the fall made a dreadful 
noise, and the current ran WMih immense velocity. 
We sat down on the bank sorely pinched by hunger, 
looking wistfully towards our friends beyond the tor- 
rent, who were in posse^ssion of all the provisions, 
tents, and camp equipage, convinced that the most 
adventurous boatmen would not dare the passage for 
the sake of accommodating any of us. We were, 
liowever, mistaken. There were two men, and only 
two, who had skill and courage to dare it. Need 
Lieutenant Simpson on an occasion like this, be na- 
med ? He, accompanied by John Tidd, entered his 
empty boat. What skill in boatmanship ! what ap- 
titude with the paddle was here exhibited ! The prin- 
cipal body of the water ran over the middle of the 
fall, and created a foaming and impetuous tonent, in 
some measure resembling, at this particular time, that 
of ihe Oswego falls, which had been known to me 
ere this. The river was about 150 or 2(-)0 yards in 
breadth, counting on the increase of water by the 
rains. The force of the central current naturally 
formed considerable eddies at each side of the river, 
close under the pilch. Simpson now disclosed his a- 
mazing skill. Though there was an eddy, even that 
was frightful, he came by its mean nearly under the 
pitch, and trying to obtain an exact start, failed. 
The stream forced his boat down the river, but he re- 
covered and brought it up. Now we, who were trem- 
5* 



64 CAMPAIGN 

bling for the fate of our friend, and anxious for our 
own accoiiiniodalion, bes^an to fear he mi^fht be 
drawn under the pitch. Q.uick, ahuost in a moment^ 
Simpson was with us. He called in his loud voice to 
Robert Dixon, James Old, (a n)essniate,) and myself 
to enter the boat. We entered immediaiely. He 
pushed off; attempting the start by favor of the hith- 
er eddy, which was the main thing, we tailed. Re- 
turning to the shore, we were assailed by a numer- 
ous band of soldiers, hungiy and anxious to be with 
their companions. Simpson told them he could not 
carry more with safety, and would return for them, 
Henry M'Anncly,a tall Irishman, who could not from 
experience comprehend the danger, jumped into the 
boat; he was followed by three or four other incon- 
sideiaie men. The countenance of Simpson chan- 
ged ; his soul and mine were intimate. '' O God," 
said he, " men we shall all die." They would not 
recede. Again we approached the pitch ; it was hor- 
rible. The batteaux swam deep, almost ungoverna- 
ble by tlie paddle. Attempting again to essay the 
departure, we failed. The third trial was made ; it 
succeeded. As lightning we darted athwart the riv- 
er. Simpson, with his paddle, governed the stern. 
The worthy Tidd in the bow. Dixon and myself, 
our guns stuck in the railing of the batteaux, but 
without paddles, sat in the stern next to Simpson. 
Mr. Old was in the bow near Tidd. Henry M'An- 
nally was adjoining Mr. Old. The olher men sat 
between the stern and bow. Simpson called to the 
men in the bow to lay hold of the birch bushes : the 
boat struck the shore forcibly ; they caught hold, M'- 
Annaly in pariicular, (this was in the (ail of ihe ed- 
dy,) but like children, their holds slipped at tlie only- 
spot where we could have been saved ; for the boat 
had been judiciously and safely brought up. Letting 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 5« 

g"o their holds, the bow came round to the stream, 
and the stern struck the sliore. Simpson, Dixon and 
myself, now caught the bushes, but being by this 
time thrown into the current, the strengtii of the wa- 
ter made the withes as so many straws in our hands. 
The stem aofain swunff round: the bow cameasfain 
ashore. Mr. 0!d, Tidd, and iM'Annaly, andthe rest, 
sprung to the land to save their hves. Doing this at 
our cost, tfieir heels forced the boat across the current. 
Though we attempted to stead3nt, the boat swagged. 
In a moment after, at thirty feet off shore, being 
broad side to the current, it turned, borne under, in 
spite of all our force, by the fury of the stream. The 
boat upsetting, an expression, as going into the wa- 
ter, fell from me, " Simpson, we are going to heav- 
en." My fall was head-toremost. Simpson came 
after me : his heels, at the depth of fifteen feet or 
more, were upon my neck and head, and those grind- 
ing on the gravel. We rose nearly together, your fa- 
ther first — my friend followed. The art of swim- 
nn'ng, in which I thouglit myself an adept, was tri- 
ed, b«it it was a topsy-turvy business ; the force of 
the water threw me often heels-over-head. 

In the course of this voyage, after a few hundred 
yards, Simpson was at my side, but the force of the 
stream prevented the exertion of swimming; yet the 
impetuosity of the current kept us up. It drove us 
toward the other side of the river, against a long ridge 
of perpendicular rocks of great extent. Luckily in 
the course of some hundred yards the current chan- 
ged, and brought us perforce to the north side of the 
river. Floating along with n)y head just above wa- 
ter, (prayers in sincere penitence Ijaving been utter- 
erl,) a boat's crew of the eastern men handed me a 
pole. It was griped as by the hand of death — but 
griped, the pole leniained to me. The strength of 



U C/VMPAIGN 

the current was such that the boat would inevitably 
liave upset, if the boatman had krpt his hold. A 
glance of tlie eye informed me that my companion 
in misfortune had siiaied the same fate. Resigned 
into the bosom of my Saviour, my eyes became clo- 
sed ; the death appeared to me to be a hard one; sen- 
sibility in a great degree forsook me. Driving with 
the current some hundreds of yards more, the most 
palpable feeling recollected, was the striking of my 
breast against a root or hard substance. My head 
came above water. Breathing ensued ; at the same 
moment Simpson raised his head out of the water, 
his gold laced hat on it, crying "Oh !" Neither of 
us could have crept out; we should have there died, 
but for the assistance of Edward Cavanaugh, an l- 
rishman, an excellent soldier, who was designated in 
the company by the appellation of " Honest Ned." 
Passing from the lowei' part of the river, he happen- 
ed to come to the eddy at the moment my breast 
struck. He cried ont, ' Lord, Johnny I is this you?' 
and instaiuly dragged me out of the water. Simp- 
son immediately appearing, he did him the same ser- 
vice. Lying on the earth perhaps twenty minutes, 
the water pouring from my mouth, a messenger from 
the camp came to rouse us. Roused, Ave went in. 
But all eyes looked out for Dixon, all hearts were 
wailiui,^ for his loss. It was known he could not 
swim, but none of us could recollect whether he had 
dropped into the water or had adhered to the boat. 
After a wd:iile we had the inexpressible pleasure of 
Dixon in our company. He liad stuck to the side of 
the boat, which lodged on a vast pile of drift wood 
some miles below, and in this way he was saved. Ar- 
riving at the camp, our friends had a large fire pre- 
pared, particularly for our accommodation ; heat, af- 
ler such an ocouireuce, is most agreeable. My two 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 67 

friends in distress, whose clothing- was principally 
woolen, felt none of my private disaster. My leath- 
er breeches attached closely and coldly to the skin. 
M(ulesty prohibiied a disclosure. The sense of pain 
or inconvenience which was observed by my seniors, 
caused an inquiry. Immediately the breeches were 
off and stuck upon a pole to dry. Simpson was so 
much exhilerated by our escape, that, seated upon a 
stump, he sung "Plato" in great glee. It became a 
favorite with us. During all this time, perhaps till 
one or two o'clock, my breeches were in n»y hand al- 
most in coniinued friction. The laugh of th^ com- 
pany was against me, but-it was borne stoically. 

The following morning. (Oct. 24,) presented tome 
many difficulties: to be sure my born, with a pound 
of powder, and my pouch, wiih seventy bullets, wer« 
unharmed by the water, though around my neck in 
the course of our swimming: yet I had lost my knap- 
sack, my hat, and my most precious rifle. Awaking, 
the world appeared to be a wild waste. Disarmed, 
my insignificance pressed strongly on my mind; dis- 
honor seemed to follow of course. Without the ar- 
mour of defence^ men and nations are mere autom- 
atons, liable to be swayed by the beck of power, and 
subject to the hand of oppression. Young as your 
father was, his soul was oppressed. To return with 
the invalids was jireadful, and without arms he could 
not proceed. Comfort came to me in the shape of 
Lieuienant, now General Nichols, then of Hendricks'. 
He had two hats — he presented me one: but what 
was more to my purpose, he, or General Simpson, in- 
formed me that some of the invalids wished to dis- 
pose of their rifles. With the assistance of Nichols 
and Simpson, a bargain was struck with a person 
called William Reynolds, or Rannels, of our compa- 
ny, who was miserably sick, and returned in the boats. 



68 CAMPAIGN 

Money was out of the question. An order upon my 
father, dated at this place, for the sum of twelve dol- 
lars, was accepted, and afterwards honorably paid. 
This gun was short, and carried about 45 balls to 
the pound. The stock was much shattered, and it 
was worth about five dollars. Necessit}^ has no law. 
Never did a gun, ill as its appearance was, shoot with 
greater certainty, ai»d where the ball touched, from^ 
its size it was sure to kill. This observation, trifling 
as it may seem, ought to induce government to adopt 
guns of this size, as to lengtli of barrel and size of 
ball. There are many reasons to enforce this opin- 
ion. We departed from tiiis place without any ma- 
terial occurrence, and went rapidly forward. > 

A laughable circumstance ensued on the morning 
of the 27th of October, near the first pond, at the 
head of ihe river. The Virginians, (though it is not 
probable that any of the oflficers, excepting one,) had 
taken up the idea that they were our superiors in ev- 
ery military qualification, and ought to lead. Hen- 
dricks, though the oldest counni^sioned oflficer of the 
rifle companies, was still the youngest man. For 
the sake of peace and good order, he h:id not assent- 
ed to, but merely acquiesced in Morgan's assumption 
of the command of oin* corp^, as the elder person. 
Those men, who were clever and bra\e, were just 
such in tliat behalf, as we were ourselves: but a Mr. 
Heath, who was blind of an eye, (a Lieutenant of 
Morgan's,) seemed to think that all others were infe- 
rior to those of the " ancient dominion." We had a 
hard morning's pushing, when, coming up to the 
first pond, at the head of the Dead River, we saw 
Heath before us. Observing to Simpson ^ push him,^ 
we went up with much force; poor Heath laboring 
like a slave to keep his place. Tidd and Dougherty 
felt my spirit as much as Simpson did. At the mo- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 69 

meni of our passing, (for we went up on the outside 
of him, towards the middle of the current,) his pole 
stuck, upon which he gave us a few hearty curses. 
Entering the lake, the boat, under my guidance and 
information, steered directly for the passage to the 
second lake. Humphreys, (Morgan's first Lieuten- 
ant,) a brave and most amiable man, whom we high- 
ly esteemed, was in a boat far to the left, searching 
for a passage. Simpson, at my instance, hailed him 
to come on. He answered there was no passage 
there — alluding to the place we steered for. Encour- 
aging my friend to go on, the deception Humphreys 
lay under was soon discovered. The creek was deep 
and serpentine, and the country around, for a consid- 
erable distance, a flat. A log, brought down by the 
late freshet, lay across the stream, so as to give to a 
stranger the idea that the mouth of the creek was 
merely a nook of the lake. Setting the log afloat, 
as was easily done, the boat proceeded. 

October 28. Continuing rapidly, for now we had 
no carrying nor marking of trees, there being plenty 
of water, the evening was spent at the foot of that 
mountain called the Height of Land. This was a 
day of severe labor. The navigrition of the Chau- 
diere was represented by us to Captains Hendricks 
and Smith, as very dangerous ; and. so far as our in- 
formation went, it was so. They, to save their men, 
concluded to carry over the hill but one boat for each 
of their companies. This resolution was easily ac- 
complished. Morgan, on the other hand, determin- 
ed to carry over all his boats. It vvould have made 
your heart ache to view the intolerable labors of his 
fine fellows. Some of theui, it was said, had the flesh 
worn from their shoulders, even to the bone. By this 
tiiTie an antipat hy had arisen against Morgan, as too 
strict a disciphnarian. 



60 CAMPAIGN 

On the following day, (October 29th,) the army, 
disjointed as was our corps, at least Hendricks' and 
Smith's, encamped on the plain on the bank of the 
Chaudiere. Mori^an afterwards took his station near 
us. Here it first became generally known thatEnos 
had returned from the twelve-mile carrying-place with 
500 men, a large stock of provisions, and the medi- 
cine chest.* It damped our spirits much, but our 
commander conceived it was better to proceed thaii' 
return. We were about a hundred miles from the 
frontier of Canada, but treble that distance from that 
of New-England. Our provisions were exhausted. 
We had no meat of any kind. The flour which re- 
mained, so far as I know, was divided fairly and e- 
qually amor»g the troops ; t he riflemen shared jive 
jnnts of flour j^er man. Duritig the night and the 
ensuing morning, the flour was baked itito fivecakes 
per man, under the ashes, in the way of Indian 
bread. 

On the 30th of October we set forward. The men 
were told by the officers " that order would not be re- 
quired in the march — each one nuist put the best foot 
foremost." The first day's march was closed by a 
charming sleep on fir-branches. The gentlemen of 
our mess lay toi^ether, each one covering himself with 
his blanket. My memory does not serve to say that 



* As soon as the army reached the source of Dead River, which is 
a branch of the Keniiehec, Colonel Enos received orders to ::end 
back all the sick, and all those to whom it was not possible to fur- 
nish provisions. But this officer, eird)racing; the occasion, return- 
ed with all his detachment to the camp at Boston. All the aimy, 
on seeing him appear, were transported with indignation against a 
man who had abandoned his own companions in the midst of dan- 
gers, and whose deserlifin might occasion the luiscarriage of the 
whole enterprize. He was brought before a court martial, but ac- 
quitted, in consequence of the acknowledged impossibility of pro- 
curing sustenance in these wild aad desert places. — Botta's Revo- 
lutionary War. 



AGAINST QUEBEC . 61 

any stir was made by any one during the night. 
Happening to be the first that awakened in the morn- 
ing., the blanket was suddenly thrown from my head, 
but what was my surpri.se to find that we had lain 
under a cover of at least four inches of snow. We 
had scarcely risen and got our kettle on the fire, when 
our drummer, (we had no bugles,) John Shaeffer, 
came slipshod to our fire, complaining that his cakes 
had been stolen from him. A more wretched figure 
was scarcely ever beheld. He was purblind. This 
circumstance, though he was my townsman, and ac- 
quainted with me Irom my earliest infancy, was yet 
unknown to me until thi's last march, (ascending the 
Dead River,) began. My station in the line of march, 
which was in the single file, (or Indian, as it was 
then called,) was next to the Captain ; the drummer 
folloAved. Here his defect was most effectually seen. 
Smith was lithsorne and quick of foot, as we were 
all, except poor Shaeffer. In I he course of this toil- 
some march without a path, many deep ravines pre- 
sented themselves; over these lay many logs, fallen 
perhaps many years before. The captain took the 
log, preferring it to a descent of 20 or 30 feet into the 
gulph below, which at times was quite abrupt. Fol- 
lowing me, Shaeffer would frequently, drum and all, 
tumble headlong into the ab3^ss. His misfortunes in 
this w^ay, for he was a laughing stock, excited con- 
tempt in the soldiers, but in me compassion. He of- 
ten required my aid. On this latter occasion we were 
boiling a bleary, being nothing more than flour and 
water, and that without salt. At my solicitation, the 
mess gave him a tin cup full of it. He received from 
me my third cake. This man, blind, starving, and 
almost naked, bore his drum, unharmed by all its 
jostlings, safely to Quebec, while many hale men di- 
ed in the wilderness. 
6 



62 CAMPAIGN 

This morning, November 1st, breakfasting: on our 
bleary, we took up the hne of inarch tliroii^h a flat 
and boggy ground. About ten o'clock A. M. we ar- 
rived by a narrow^ neck of land at a marsh w^hich 
was appalling. It was three fourths of a mile over, 
and covered by a coat of ice half an inch thick. At 
this j)lace Sin»pson concluded to halt a short time for 
the stragglers or maimed of Hendricks' and Snjith'a 
companies to come up. '^Fhere w^ere two women at- 
tached to those companies, who arrived befoie we 
commenced the march. One was the wife of Ser- 
geant Gtier, a large, virtuous and respectable woman. 
The other was the wife of a private of our company, 
a man who lagged on every occasion. These wo- 
men having arrived, it was presumed that all our par- 
ty were up. We were on the point of entering the 
marsli, when some one cried out, 'Warner is not here.' 
Another said he had sat down, sick, under a tree, a 
few miles back. His wife begged us to wait a short 
time, and with tears of aifection in her eyes, ran back 
to her husband. We tarried an hour. They came 
not. Entering the pond, (Simpson foremost,) and 
breaking the ice heie and there wnth the buts of our 
guns and feet, as occasion required, we were soon 
waist deep in the mud and water. As is generally 
the case with youths, it came to my mind that a bet- 
ter path might be found than that of the more elder- 
ly guide. Attempting this, the water in a trice cool- 
ing my armpits, made me gladly return into the file. 
Now Mrs. Gner had got before me. My mind was 
humbled, yet astonished, at the exertions of this good 
woman. Her clothes more than waist high, she wa- 
ded before me to firm ground. No one, so long as 
she was known to us, dared to intimate a disrespect- 
ful idea of her. Her husband, an excellent soldier, 
was on duty in Hendricks' boat, that had proceeded 



AGAINST. QUEBEC. 63 

to the outlet of the lake with Lieutenant M'Cleland. 
Arriving: at firm ground-, and waiting again for our 
companions, we then set off, and in a march of sev- 
eral miles, over a scrubby and Hat plain, arrived at a 
river flowing from the east into the Chaudiere lake. 
This we passed in a batteaux, whicli the prudence of 
Colonel Arnold had stationed here for our acconmio- 
dation ; otherwise we must have swam the stream, 
which was wide and deep. In a short time we came 
to another river flowing from the same quarter, still 
deeper and wider than the former. Here we found 
a batteaux under the supeiintendenceof Capt. Dear- 
born, in which we passed the river. We skirted the 
river to its mouth, then passed along the margin of the 
lake to the outlet of the Chaudiere, where we encamp- 
ed with a heterogenous mass of the army. It was 
soon perceived that the French term Chaudiere was 
most aprly applied to the river below us. Indeed ev- 
ery part of it that came under our view, until we ar- 
rived at the first house in Canada, might well be 
termed a cakhon or boiler, which is the import of its 
French name. It is remarkable of (his river, and 
which distinguished it from ail others I had seen, that 
for 60 or 7<) niiles, it is a continued rapid, with(#tany 
apparent gap or passage, even for a canoe. Every 
boat we put into the river was stove in one part or 
another. Captain Morgan lost all his boats, and the 
life of a much valued soldier. With difticulty he sa- 
ved his own life and the treasure committed to his care. 
Arnold, accompanied by Steele, John M. Taylor, and 
a few others, in a boat, were in advance of the ar- 
my ; but (hey were obliged to take to the land, as I 
subsequently heard. 

On the ii.orning of the 2d of November, we set off 
from the Chaudiere lake, and liungered, (as to my- 
self,) almost to death. What with the supplies to 



64 CAMPAIGN 

ShaefTer, and my own ajDpedte, food of any kind had 
become a non-entiiy with me. My own sufferings, 
in the two succeeding marches, from particular cau- 
ses, were more than ordinarily severe. JM}^ mocka- 
sins had, many days since, been worn to shreds and 
cast aside : my shoes, though they had been well 
sewed and hitherto stuck together, now began to give 
way, and that in the very worst part, (the upright 
seam in the heel.) For one to save his life, he must 
keep his station in the rank. The moment hi- place 
was lost, as nature and reason dictate, the following 
soldier assumed his place. Thus, once thrown out 
of the file, the unfortunate wretch must await the 
passage of many men, until a place towards the rear 
happens to open for his admission. This explana- 
tion will answer some questions which you might nat- 
urally put. Why did you not sew it ? Why did 
you not tie the shoe to your foot? If there had been 
awl, thread, and strings at command, (which there 
were not, for the causes above stated,) one dared not 
have done either, as the probable consequence would 
ensue, " Death by hunger in a dreary wilderness." 
Man, when thrown out of society, is the most help- 
less of God's creatures. Hence you may form a con- 
ception of the intolerable labor of the march. Ev- 
ery step taken, the heel of the foot slipped out of the 
shoe ; to recover the position of the foot in the shoe, 
and at the same time to stride, was hard labor, and 
exhausted my strength to an unbearable degree. 
You must remember that this niarch was not per- 
formed on the level surface of the parade ground, but 
over precipitous hills, deep gullies, and even without 
the path of the vagrant savage to guide us. Thus 
we proceeded till towards mid-day, the pale and mea- 
gre looks of my companions, tottering on their limbs, 
corresponding with iny own. My friend Simpson, 



AGAINST QUEBEC. W 

seeing my enfeebled condiiion and the cause, prevail- 
ed with the men to rest themselves a few minules. 
Bark, the only succedaneum for twine or leather in 
this misetahle country, was immediately procured, 
and the shoe bound ti^^htly to the foot. Then march- 
ing hastily, in the course of an hour or more we came 
within view of a tremendous cataract in tlie river, 
from 12 to 20 feet high. Tiie horror this sight gave 
us, fearing for the safety of our friends in the boats, 
was aggravated, when, turning the point of a ste6p 
cragg, we met those very friends, having lost all but 
their lives, sitting aroimd a fire on the shore. Oh 
God ! what were our sensatious ! Poor M'Cleland, 
first Lieutenant of Hendricks,' and for whose accom- 
modation tlie boat was most paiticularly carried a- 
cross the mountain, was lying by the fire ; he beck- 
oned to us : his voice was not audible ; placing my 
ear close to his lips, he indistinctly articulated the ex- 
pression, ' Farev.^ell.' Simpson, who loved him, gave 
him half of the pittance of food winch he still pos- 
sessed ; all I could give was a — tear. The short but 
melancholy story of this gentleman, so far as it has 
come to my knowledge, may be detailed in a very 
few words. He had resided on the Juniata at the 
time he was commissioned. My knowledge of him 
conunenced in the camp near Boston. He was en- 
dowed with all those qualities which win the affec- 
tions of men. Open, brave, sincere, and a lover of 
truih. On the Dead River, the variable weather 
brought on a cold that affected his lungs. The ten- 
derness of his friends conducted him safely, though 
much reduced, to the foot of the mountain at the head 
of the Dead River. Thence he was borne in a lit- 
ter across the mountain by men. If you had seen 
the young, yet venerable Captain Hendricks, bearing 
his share of this beloved and patriotic burthen across 
6* 



06 CAMPAIGN 

the plain to our camp, it would have raised esteem, if 
not affection, towards l)im. M'Cleland was trans- 
ported fioin our camp in a boat to the place wliere 
we found him. The crew conducting the boat, al- 
though worthy men and well acquainted with such 
kind of navigation, knew nothing of this river. — 
They descended, imaware of the pitch before them, 
unlil ttiey had got nearly into the suck of the falls. 
Here, luckily, a rock presented itself, on which it was 
so contrived as to lodge the boat. Now the crew 
with great labor and danger bore their unfortunate 
Lieutenant to the shore, where we found him. We 
passed on, fearful for our own lives. Coming to a 
long, sandy beach of the Chaudiere, for we some- 
times had such, some of our company were observ- 
ed to dart from the file, and with their nails tear out 
of the sand, roots, which they esteetued eatable, and 
ate them raw, even without washing. Languid and 
woe-begone as your father was, it could not but cre- 
ate a smile to observe the whole line watching with 
Argus eyes the motions of a few men who knew the 
indications in the sands of those roots. The know- 
ing one sprung; half a dozen followed ; he who ob- 
tained it ate the root instantly. Though hunger ur- 
ged, it was far from me to contend in that way with 
so powerful men as these were. 

During this day's march, (about 10 or 11 A. M.) 
my shoe having given out again, we came to a fire, 
where were some of Captain Thayer's or Topham's 
men. Simpson was in front ; trudging after, slip- 
shod and tired, I sat down on the end of a long log, 
against which the fire was built, absolutely fainting 
from hunger and fatigue, my gun standing between 
my knees. Sealing myself, that very act gave a cast 
to the kettle, it being placed partly against the log, 
in such a way as to spill two-thirds of its contents. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 9/1 

At that moment a large man sprung^ to his gun, and 
pointing it towards me, he threatened to shoot. It 
created no fear ; his hfe was with much more cer- 
tainty in my power. Death would have been a wel- 
come visitor. Simpson soon made us friends. Com- 
ing to iheir fire, they gave me a cup of their broth. 
A table spoonful was all that was tasted. It had a 
greenish iiue, and they said it was made from the 
llesh of a bear. This was instantly known to be un- 
true, from the taste and smell. Ii was that of a dog. 
He w^as a large black Newfoundland dog, belonging 
to Thayer, and very fat. We left these merry fel- 
lows, for they were actuajly such, maugre all their 
wants, and marching quickly, tow^ards evening en- 
camped. We had a good fire, but no food. To me 
the world had lost its charms. Gladly would death 
have been received as an auspicious herald from the 
Divinity. My privations in every way were such as 
to produce a willingness to die. Without food, with- 
out clothing to keep me warm, without money, and 
in a deep and devious wilderness, the idea occurred, 
and the means were in my hands, of ending exis- 
tence. The God of all goodness inspired other and 
better thoughts. One principal cause of change, (un- 
der the fostering hand of Providence,) in my senti- 
mentSj was the jovial hilarity of my friend Simp- 
son. At night, warming our bodies at an immense 
fire, (our compatriots joined promiscuously around,) 
to animate the company, he would sing " Plato ;" 
his sonorous voice gave spirit to my heart, and the 
morality of the song, consolation to my mind. In 
truth the music, though not as correct as Handel, ad- 
ded strength and vigor to our nerves. This evening 
it was, that some of our companions, whose stomachs 
had not received food (he last forty-eight hours, adop- 
ted the notion that leather, though it had been man- 



j98 CAMPAIGN 

ufactured, might be made palatable food, and would 
gratify the appetite. Observing their discourse, to 
me the experiment became a matter of curiosity. — 
They washed their moose-skin moccasins in the first 
place in the river, scraping away the dirt and sand 
with great care. These were brought to the kettle 
and boiled a considerable time, under the vague, but 
consolatory hope that a mucilage would take place. 
The boiling over, the poor fellows chewed the leath- 
er ; but it v/as leather still, not to be macerated. My 
teeth, though young and good, succeeded no better. 
Disconsolate and weary, we passed the night. 

November 3d. — We arose early, hunger impelling, 
and maiched rapidly. After noon, on a point on the 
bank of the river, some one pretended he descried 
the ' first house,' ten miles off. Not long after, an- 
other discerned a boat coming towards us ; and turn- 
ing a point of land, presently all perceived cattle dri- 
ving up the shore. These circumstances gave occa- 
sion to a feeble huzza of joy from those who beheld 
these cheerful and enlivening sights. We were now 
treading a wide and stony beach of the river. Smith, 
our captain, who at this moment happened to be in 
company, elated with the prospect of a supply of food, 
in the joy of his heart, perhaps thoughtlessly, said to 
me, ''Take this, Henry." It was gladly received. 
Opening the paper, which had been neatly folded, 
there appeared a hand's breadth and length of bacon- 
fat, of an inch thick ; thoughtlessly, it .was eaten 
greedily, inattentive to all former rule, and thanks to 
God, did me no harm. Here it was that for the first 
time, Aaron Buir, a most amiable youth of twenty, 
came to my view. He then was a cadet. It will 
require a most cogent evidence to convince my mind 
that he ever intended any ill to his country in after 
years, by his various speculations. Though differ- 
ing in political opinion from him, no reason has as 



AGAINST QUEBEC. <W> 

yet been laid before me to induce a belief that he waa 
traitorous to his country. However, take ibis as the 
wayward ideas of a person totally excluded from a 
knowledge of the secrets of the cabinet, who was 
somewhat attentive to its operations, so far as news- 
paper information can elucidate. 

We marched as hastily as our wearied and feeble 
limbs would admit, hoping soon to share in some- 
thing like an Abysinian feast. The curvatures of 
the river had deceived us m the calculation of dis- 
tance. It was many hours ere we came to the place 
of slaughter. We found a fire but no provision, ex- 
cept a small quantity of oaten meal, resembling ia 
grit our chopped rye. Simpson warmed some of this 
in water, and ate with gout. To me it was nause- 
ous; this may have been owing to the luncheon from 
Smith's hoard. The Frenchmen told us that those 
who preceded had devoured the very entrails of the 
cattle. One of the eastern men, as we came to the 
fire, was gorging the last bit of the colon, half rinsed 
— half broiled. It may be said he ate with pleasure, 
for he tore it as a hungry dog would tear a haunch 
of meat. We soon encamped for the night, cheered 
b}^ the hope of succor. 

November 4th. — About two o'clock, P. M. we ar- 
rived at a large stream coming from the east, which 
we ran through, though more than mid-deep. This 
was the most chilling bath we had hitherto received : 
the weather was raw and cold. It was my 17th birth 
day, and the hardest of them all. Within a few hun- 
dred yards of the river stood the 'first house' in Can- 
ada : we approached it in extacy, sure of being re- 
heved from a death occasioned by famine. Many 
of our compatriots were unaware of that death which 
arises from sudden repletion. The active spirit of 
Arnold, wkh such able assistants as John M. Taylor 



70 CAMPAIGN 

and Steele, had laid in a great stock of provisions. 
The men were furious, voracious, and insatiable. — 
Three starvations had taught me wisdom. My friends 
took my advice; but, notwithstanding- the irrefraga- 
ble arguments the officers used to insure moderation, 
the men were outrageous upon the subject ; they had 
no comprehension of such reasoning. There was a 
Pennsylvania German of our company, a good and 
orderly soldier, who, from my affection towards him, 
I watched hke anoilier Doctor Pedro Positive. All 
of my reasoning and representation had no influence 
upon him. Boiled beef, hot bread, potatoes boiled 
and roasted, were gormandized without stint. He 
seemed to defy death for the mere enjoyment of pres- 
ent gratification, and died two days alter. Many of 
the men sickened. If not much mistaken, we lost 
three of our company by their imprudence on this 
occasion. The immediate distension of the stomach 
by food, after a lengthy fast, operates as a more sud- 
den extinction of life than the total absence of ali- 
ment. 

At this place we for the first time had the pleasure 
of seeing tlie worthy and respectable Indian, Nata- 
nis, and his brother Sabatis, with some others of their 
tribe, (the Abenaquis.) Lieutenant Steele told us 
that when he first arrived Natanis came to him in an 
abrupt but friendly manner, and gave him a cordial 
ehake by the hand, intimating a previous knowledge 
of him. When we came, he approached Cunning- 
ham, Boyd, and myself, and shook hands in the way 
of an old acquaintance. We now learned from him 
that on the evening when we first enamped on Dead 
River, (September 29th,) in our first ascension, he lay 
within view of our camp, and so continued day and 
night to attend our voyage, until the paih presented 
that led directly into Canada. This path he took. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 71 

To the question " Why did you not speak to your 
friends?" he readily answered and truly, "You would 
have killed me." This was most likely, as our pre^ 
judices against him had been most strongly excited, 
and we htid no limit in our orders as to this devoted 
person. He, his brother Sabatis, and seventeen oth- 
er Indians, the nepheAvs and friends of Natanis, 
marched with us to Quebec. In the attack on that 
place on the morning of the first of January follow- 
ing, Na anis received a musket ball through his wrist. 
He adopted a chirurgery that seemed extraordinary 
at the time, and quite nevt^, but which now seems to 
me to be that of nature itself. He drew a pledget of 
hnen quite though the wound, the ends of which 
hung down on each side of the arm. He was taken 
prisoner, but General Carlton discharged him imme- 
diately, with strong tokens of commiseration. This 
is the first instance in the course of our revolutiona- 
ry war, of the employment of Indians in actual war- 
fare agaiuBt our enemies. To be sure it w^as the act 
of a junior commander, unwarranted, so far as has 
come to my knowledge, by the orders of his superi- 
ors ; yet it seemed to authorize, in a small degree, 
upon the part of our opponents, that horrible system 
of aggression which in a short time ensued, and as- 
tonished and disgusted the civilized world. 

Nov. 5th. — Hunger, which neither knows govern- 
ance or restraint, being now gratified, we turned our 
attention towards our fi lends that were still in the 
wilderness. Smith and Simpson, (for recollection 
does not serve to say how my friends Hendricks and 
Nichols were employed, but most certainly in doing 
good.) always active, procured tw^o young Indians, 
nephews of Natanis, " sweet fellows," (as Simpson 
called them,) to proceed on the following morning to 
the great fall, for the person of the invaluable M'Cle- 



T2 CAMPAIGN 

land. Before we started, it gave me pleasure to see 
these youths, excited by the reward obtained, push- 
ing- their birch-bark canoe against the strict current 
of the river. It seemed hke an egg-shell to bound 
over the surface of the waves of every opposing rip- 
ple. To end at once this dolorous part of the story : 
the young men, in spite of every impediment from 
the waters, and the sohciiations of I fie starved wan- 
derers in the rear for food, hurried on to the fall, and 
on tlie evening of the third day brought our dying 
friend to tlie " first house." The following day he 
died, and his corpse received a due respect from the 
inhabitants of the vicinage. We were inf )rmed of 
this a month after. This real Catholicism towards 
the remains of one we loved, made a deep and wide 
breach upon my early prejudices, Avhich since that 
period has caused no regret, but has induced a more 
extended and paternal view of mankind, unbound- 
ed by sect or opinion. 

On the morning of the 6th Nov. we marched in 
straggling parties, through a flat and rich country, 
sprinkled, it might be said, decorated by n»any low 
houses, all white washed, which appeared to be the 
warm abodes of a contented people. Every now and 
then a chapel came in sight ; but more frequently the 
rude, yet pious imitations of the sufferings of our Sa- 
vior, and the image of ihe virgin. These things cre- 
ated surprise, at least, in my mind, for where I ex- 
pected there could be little other than barbarity, we 
found civilized men, in a comfoi table state, enjoying 
all the benefits arising from ihe institutions of civil 
society. The river, along which the road ran in this 
day's march, became in the most part our guide. It 
now flowed in a deep and almost sightless current : 
where my opportunities gave me a view. Our ab 
stemiousness still continued. About noon of the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 73 

next day we arrived at the quarters of Arnold, a sta- 
tion he had taken for the purpose of halting and em- 
bodying the whole of our emaciated and straggling 
troops. We were now perhaps thirty miles from 
Point Levi, which is on the St. Lawrence, and near- 
ly opposite to Quebec. 

Now our mess had " friends at court." Arnold, 
since we left the twelve-mile carrying-place the last 
time, had deservedly taken Steele as a guide into his 
mess, and he had become a kind of aid de-camp. He 
was, to say no more, a confidential man. John M. 
Taylor, keen and bold as an Irish grey-hound, was 
of our company. Being' a ready penman and excel- 
lent accountant, he was at once exalted by the shrewd 
and discerning eye of Arnold, to the offices of pur- 
veyor and commissary. We had no distinctions of 
office, scarcely any of rank, in those days. Our squad 
consequently came boldly up to head-quarters, though 
we did not go into the presence of the officers. Steele, 
who was in waiting, pointed to the slaughter-house, 
an hundred yards distant. Thither we went, deter- 
mined to indulge. Here we found our friend Tay- 
lor, worried almost to death in dealing out the suste- 
nance of life to others. Without hyperbole or cir- 
cumlocuiion, he gave us as many pounds of beef- 
steaks as we chose to carry. Proceeding to the next 
house, a mile below, some one of the party became 
cook. Good bread and potatoes, with the accompa- 
niment of beef-steak, produced a savory meal. Be- 
lieving myself out of danger from any extraordinary- 
indulgence of appetite, the due quantity was exceed- 
ed, and yet, believe me, it was not more than an an- 
chorite might religiously take. We soon became 
sensible of this act of imprudence. The march of 
the afternoon was a dull and heavy one. A fever at- 
tacked me. I became, according to my feelings, the 



74 CAMPAIGN 

most miserable of human beings. Determined not 
to lag behind, my eyes, at times, could scarcely dis- 
cern the way, nor my legs do their office. We did 
not march far (his afternoon. In tl)is high latitude, 
a winter's day is very short arid fleeting. The eve- 
ning brought me no comfort, though we slept warm- 
ly in a farm house. 

November 7th. — The army now formed into more 
regular and compact order, in the morning pretty ear- 
ly, we proceeded. About noon my disorder had in- 
creased so intolerably, that I could not put a foot for- 
w^ard. Seating myself upon a log at tlie way-side, 
the troops passed on. In the rear came Arnold (^n 
horseback. He knew my name and character, and 
good-naturedly inquired after my health. Being in- 
formed, he dismounted, ran down to the river side, 
and hailed the owner of the house which sto(Kl op- 
posite across tfie water. The good Canadian, in his 
canoe, quickly arrived. Depositing my gun and ac- 
coutrements in the hands of one of our men, who 
attended upon me, and had been disarmed by losing 
his rifle in some one of the wrecking's above, and 
Arnold putting two silver dollars in my hands, the 
Frenchman carried me to his house. Going to bed 
with a high fever upon me, I lay all this and the fol- 
lowing day without tasting food. That had been 
the cause of the disease, its absence became the 

cine. 

The morning of the third day, (10th Nov.) brought 
me health. The mistress of the house, who had 
been very attentive and kind, asked me to breakfast. 
This humble, but generous meal, consisted of a bowl 
of milk for the guest, with excellent bread. The 
fare of the family was this same bread, garlic, and 
•alt. I had observed that this was the usual morn- 
M^'s dict^ far I lay in the stove-room, where the fam- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. Ti 

ily ate and slept. This worthy family was compo- 
sed of seven persons: the parents in tlie piimeolhfe, 
and five charming, ruddy cliildren, all neatly and 
warmly clothed in woollen, apparently of their own 
mannliictme. You might suppose, from their man- 
ner of living, tliat these persons were poor. No such 
thino^. They were in good circumstances. Their 
house, barn, slalihng. <fec, were warm and comfort- 
able, and their diet such as is universal among the 
French peasantry of Canada. Proifcring my two 
dollars to this honest man, he rejected them with 
something like disdain in his countenance, intima- 
ting to me that he had ilierely obeyed tlie dictates of 
religion and humanity, ^'ears filled my eyes when 
1 took my leave of these amiable people. But they 
had not even yet done enough for me. The father 
insisted on attending me to the ferry some miles ofiT, 
where the river takes a turn almost due north, to 
meet the St. Lawrence. Here my worthy host pro- 
cured me a passage scott-free^ observing to me my 
money might be needed beloie the army coidd be o- 
vertaken. Landing on the north bank of the river, 
the way could not be mistaken, the tiack of tlie ar- 
my had so strongly marked the route. To me it was 
a most gloomy and solitary march. Not a soul w^as 
to be seen in the course oi ten miles. Being without 
artns, and in an unknown country, my inconsequence 
and fuiileness lay heavy on my spirits. Here and 
there was a (iarm-liouse, but the inhabitants were ei- 
ther closely-housed or absent from their homes. Af- 
ternoon, arriving at the quarters of our company, my 
gun and accoutrements were reclaimed with ardor, 
and a solemn resolution never to part with them a- 
gain, unless it happened by the compulsion of the foe. 
The house which the company possessed, lay some 
hundreds of paces from iiead-quarters, but withia 



76 CAMPAIGN 

view. Morgan's quarters were nearer. Where Hen- 
dricks made his lodgment is not now recollected, but 
it was at no great distance. 

On the foUoAing day, (Nov. 11th,) our guns in or- 
der, a scene opened, which then and now seems to 
me to have exhibited us iu a disreputable point of 
view : it evinced, at least, the necessity of a ptaid and 
sober conduct of the officer, as well as a strict subor- 
dination and obedience of the private. A hurried and 
boisterous report came from head-quarters, that the 
British were landing on our left at a mill, about a 
mile off. Each one grasped his arms. Morgan and 
the Indians, who lay nearest to the commander's 
quarters, were foremost. The running was severe. 
The lagging Indians, and a variety of the three com- 
panies, were intermingled. Coming to the brow of the 
precipice, but still unseen, we perceived a boat land- 
ing, which came from a frigate lying in the stream, 
a mile below. The boat came ashore. A youth 
sprung from it: the tide ebbing, the boatswain tho't 
it better to obtain a deeper landing-place, nearer the 
mill, and drew off. Morgan, apprehensive of a dis- 
covery of our presence, fired at the boat's crew. A 
volley ensued without harm, probably because of the 
great space between us. They pulled off shore, be- 
yond the range of our guns, leaving the midshipman 
to our mercy. The hapless youth, confounded, un- 
knowing what to do, plunged into the river, hoping 
to regain his boat. His friends flying from him — he 
waded, he swam, yet could not reach the boat. At 
the distance, perhaps, of one hundred and fifty yards, 
nothing but his head above water, a shooting-match 
took place, and believe me, the balls of Morgan. Simp- 
son, Humphreys, and others, played around, and with- 
in a few inches of his head. Even after a lapse of 
tliirty years, it gives me pain to recollectthat my gun 



AGAINST QUEBEC. Tt 

was dischars^ecl at. him. Such, however, was the 
savage ferocity en^xendered in those ungracious times, 
by a devolution of^ the minijstry of the mother coun- 
try from the true hne of conduct towards her colo- 
nies. 

M'Kensie, (the name of the young man,) seeing 
that his boat's crew fiad deserted him, sliowed a de- 
sire to surrender, by approaching the shore. The fi- 
ring ceased. But a still more disgusting occurrence 
than the preceding, followed. The lad, coming to- 
wards the shore, evidently intending to submit, Sa- 
batis, the Indiarj, the i)rotJier of Natanis, sprung for- 
ward, scalping knife in hand, seemingly intending to 
end the strife at a sir»gle blow. The humanity of 
Morgan and Humphreys, towards a succumbent foe, 
was excited. One or the other of them, it is not now 
recollected which in particular, by his agility and a- 
mazing powers of body, was enabled to precede the 
Indian by several yards. This contest of athleticism 
was observed from the shore, w here we were, with 
great interest. Morgan brought the boy, (for he was 
really such,) to land, and afterwards esteemed him, 
for he merited the good-will of a hero. Wet and 
hungiy, we returned to quarters. Running along 
the shore with our prey, the Hunter sloop of war, 
having warped up for that purpose, pelted us all the 
way with ball and grape shot. It \vas no easy mat- 
ter to ascend the bank, which was steep and ciaggy. 
Our prisoner was })ruderitly loquacious, and very gen- 
teel. He had left the sloop, of which he was a mid- 
sliipman, upon command, to procure spars and oars 
which weie in the mill. He had ordered off the 
boat to procure a better landing, when our imprudent 
fire drove his people from him. He w^as the brother 
of Captain M'Kensie of the Pearl Irigate. In 1777, 
the young M Kensie was again taken. I saw hhrl 



78 CAMPAIGN 

at Lancaster, (Pennsylvania,) active, lively, and fa- 
cetious as ever. During our stay at Point Levi, Col- 
onel Arnold was busily engaged. Being now dis- 
covered, it became us to pass (he St. Lawrence as 
soon as possible. The main difficulty consisted in 
the procurement of boats or canoes. Those kinds of 
craft on this part of the river, had previously to our 
arrival, been secured by the vigilance of government, 
which it is likely had some intimation of an inroad 
in the direction we came. Twenty-five canoes, chief- 
ly of birch bark, were with difficulty procured. The 
command of these was conferred upon Lieutenant 
Steele, who selected the steersmen, of whom it came 
to me to be one. The passage, if practicable, must 
be made in the night, and that in the most silent 
manner, at a time the lide served. 

Between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock, on the 
night of the 13th of November, the troops paraded 
on the beach, near the mill before mentioned, with- 
out noise or bustle. One cargo was despatched — 
then a second : upon making the traverse a tl)ird 
time, an accident happened to my friend Sieele, 
which you can scarcely credit. Being at a consider- 
able distance behind with his canoe, I could not, at 
its occurring, observe the tranf^action, nor share in the 
danger, though my life would have been willingly 
risked for his, and yet the relation of this fact is most 
unquestionably true. These frequent asseverations 
may appear somewhat awkward, and to blur the de- 
tail of our story ; but our sufferings were so extraor- 
dinary in their kinds, and so aggravated by the na- 
ture of the severe services we underwent, that now- 
a-days it will require a faith almost approaching to 
credulity, to convince the mind of their truth. Sieele 
steered a birch bark canoe; the weight, and it is like- 
ly the awkwardness of the men, when about in the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 7» 

middle of the river, (which at this place is full two 
miles wide,) burst the canoe. The men wi)o were 
in it, swam to, or were taken up by the canoes near- 
est to them. It was otherwise with Steele. He was 
the last to get to a canoe under the management of 
the worthy Wheeler; but it was full of men. There 
could be no admittance. The steersman advised, 
and Steele was compelled from necessity, to throw 
his arms over the stern— -Wheeler, seating himself 
upon them, so as to hold them securely, for it was a 
bleak and numbing night. Thus, in this manner 
was this woithy and adventurous officer floated to 
the shore at Wolfe's cov^. Here there was an unin- 
habited house. A fire had been lighted in it by some 
of our people who first landed. It became a pole- 
star to us in the rear — we steered for it. Landing a- 
bout half an hour after Steele, we found him at the 
fire, seemingly chilled to tf>e heart; but he was a 
man not to be dispirited by slight matters. Friction 
soon restored liirn to his usual animation. The 
moon, now about three o'clock, shone brightly, and 
the tide run out rapidly, so that the passing of the rest 
of the troops, about ot»e hundred and fifty in nimi- 
ber, this rnght, was given up. This circumstance, 
of the absence of so large a part of our force, was 
known to but few. They joined us on the following 
night. It had been the intention of otu* chief to storm 
the town this night ; but the deficiency of our scaling 
ladders, many of which had been left beyond theriv- 
er, now repressed that design. 

November 14th. — The troops easily ascended the 
hill, by a good road cut in it slantingly. This was 
not the case in 1759, when the immortal Wolfe 
mounted here. It was then a steep declivity, enfila- 
ded by a host of savages, hut was surmounted by the 
eager and gallant spirits of our nation. 



80 CAMPAIGN 

[A favorable opportunity here presenting itself for a fHgre«sion from 
Mr Heiirv 's fiersonal Nanalive, it is einbiaced to give an ac- 
count of the landing of the Briti-<h troops, their occupation of 
the Heighfri of Abraham, ami the subsequent " Battle nf Que- 
bec," which events took place Septt-mber 12 and 13, 1759, on- 
ly 16 yearai previous to the period arrived at in this Nairative ; 
and their d<4ails are copied from " Hume^s History of Eng- 
land — continued by Smollctty — Editor.] 

The historian says, " The troops and artillery were 
landed at Point Levi : they afterwards passed up the 
river in transports ; while admiral Holmes made a 
movement with his ships, to amuse the enemy posted 
on the north shore : and the men being much crowded 
on board, the General ordered one-half of them to be 
landed for refreshment on the other side of the river. 
As no possibility appeared of annoying the enemy a- 
bove the town, the scheme of operations was totally 
changed. A plan was formed for conveying the troops 
farther down in boats, and landing them within a league 
of Cape Diamond, in hopes of ascending the heights 
of Abraham, which rise abi'uptly with a steep ascent 
from the banks of the river, that they might take jios- 
session of the ground on the back of the city, where it 
was but indifferently fortified. The dangers and difli- 
culties attending the execution of this design were so 
peculiarly discouraging, that one would imagine it could 
not have been embraced but by a spirit of enter^^rize 
that bordered on desperation The stream was rapid ; 
the shore shelving ; the bank of the river lined with 
sentinels ; the landing-place so narrow as to be easily 
missed in the dark; and the ground so difficult as hard- 
ly to be surmounted in the day-time, had no opposition 
been expected. If the enemy had received the least 
intimation from spy or deserter, or even suspected the 
scheme ; had the embarkation been disordered in con- 
sequence of the darkness of the night, the rapidity of 
the river, or the shelving nature of the north shore, 
near which they were obliged to row ; had one senti- 
nel been alarmed, or the knding place muck mistaken j 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 81 

the heights of Abraham must have been instantly se- 
cured by such a force as would have rendered the un- 
dertaking abortive ; confusion would necessarily have 
ensued in the dark ; and this would have naturally pro- 
duced a panic, which might have proved fatal to the 
greater part of the detachment. These objections 
could not escape the penetration of the gallant Wolfe, 
who nevertheless adopted the plan without hesitation, 
and even executed it in person ; though at that time la- 
boring under a severe dysentery and fever, which had 
exhausted his constitution, and reduced him almost to 
an extremity of weakness. The previous steps being 
taken, and the time fixed foi* this hazardous attempt, 
admiral Holmes moved with his squadron farther up 
the river, about three leagues above the place appoint- 
ed for the disembarkation, that he might deceive the 
enemy, and amuse M. de Bougainville, whom Mont- 
calm had detached with fifteen hundred men to watch 
the motions of that squadron : but the English admi- 
ral was directed to sail down the river in the night, so 
as to protect the landing of the forces ; and these or- 
ders he punctually fulfilled. On the twelfth day of 
September, an hour after midnight, the first embarka- 
tion, consisting of four complete regiments, the light 
infantry commanded by Colonel Howe, a detachment 
of Highlanders, and the American grenadiers, was made 
in flat-bottomed boats, under the immediate command 
of the brigadiers Monckton and Murray ; though Gen- 
eral Wolfe accompanied them in person, and was a- 
mong the first who landed ; and they began to fall down 
with the tide, to the intended place of disembarkation : 
rowing close to the north shore, in order to find it the 
more easily. Without any disorder the boats glided 
gently along, but by the rapidity of the tide, and the 
darkness of the night, the boats overshot the mark, 
and the troops landed a little below the place at which 
the disembarkation was intended. As the troops land- 
ed, the boats were sent back for the second embarka- 



82 CAMPAIGN 

tion, which was suporintoiKlcd by brigadier Towns- 
hend In the mean time, Colonel Howe, with the light 
infantry and the Highlanders, ascended the woody pre- 
cipice with admirable courage and activity, and dislodg- 
ed a Serjeant's guard, which defended a small intrench- 
ed narrow path, by which alone the rest of the forces 
could reach the summit. Then they mounted without 
further molestation from the enemy, and the General 
drew them up in order as they arrived. Monsieur de 
Montcalm no sooner understood that the English liad 
gained the heights of Abraham, which in a manner 
commanded the town on its weakest part, than he re- 
solved to hazard a battle ; and began his march with- 
out delay, after having collected his whole force from 
the side of Beauport. 

General Wolfe, perceiving the enemy crossing the 
river St. Charles, began to form his own line, which 
consisted of six battalions, and the Louisbouro- orena- 
diers ; the right commanded by brigadier Monckton, 
and the left by brigadier Murray : to the rear of the 
left, Colonel Howe was posted with his light infantry, 
just returned from a four-gun battery, which they had 
taken without opposition. M de Montcalm advancing 
in such a manner as to show his intention was to flank 
the left of the English, brigadier Townshend was sent 
thither with the regiment of Amherst, which he form- 
ed en polence^ presenting a double front to the enemy ; 
he was aftervvaids reinforced by two battalions ; and 
the reserve consisted of one regiment drawn up in eight 
subdivisions, with large intervals. The right of the 
enemy was composed of half the colony troops, two 
battalions, and a body of Canadians and savages : their 
centre consisted of a column formed by two other reg- 
ular battalions ; and on the left one battalion, with the 
remainder of the colony troops, was posted : the bush- 
es and corn-fields in tiieir front were lined with fifteen 
hundred of their best marksmen, who kept up an ir- 
regulai' galling fire, which proved fatal to many brave 




[Battle of Quebec, between Wolf and Montcalm, Sept. 13, 1759.] 



AGAINST QUEBEC. fi& 

officers, thus singled out for destruction. This fire, in- 
deed, was in some measure checked by the advanced 
posts of the British line, who piqueered with the ene- 
my for some hours before the battle began. Both ar- 
mies were destitute of artillery except two small pie- 
ces on the side of the French, and a single gun which 
the English seamen made shift to diaw up from the 
landing-place. This was very well served, and galled 
their column severely. At length, about nine in the 
morning, the enemy advanced to the charge with great 
order and vivacity, though their fire was irregular and 
ineffectual. On the contrary, the British forces re- 
served their shot until the J^rench had approached with- 
in forty yards of their line : then they poured in a ter- 
rible discharge ; and continued the fire with such de- 
liberation and spirit, as could not fail to produce a very 
considerable effect. General Wolfe was stationed on 
the right, at the head of Bragg's regiment and the Lou- 
isbourg gi-enadiers, where the attack was most warm. 
As he stood conspicuous in the front of the line, he had 
been aimed at by the enemy's marksmen, and received 
a shot in the wrist, which however did not oblige him 
to quit the field. Having wrapped a handkerchief a- 
round his hand, he continued giving orders without the 
least emotion ; and advanced at the head of the grena- 
diers with their bayonets fixed , when another ball un- 
fortunately pierced the breast of this young hero, who 
fell in the arms of victojy, just as the enemy gave way. 
At this very instant, every separate regiment of the 
British army seemed to exert itself for the honor of its 
own peculiar character. While the right pressed on 
with their bayonets, brigadier Murray briskly advanced 
with the troops under his command, and soon broke 
the centre of the enemy ; then the Highlanders, draw- 
ing their broadswords, fell in among them with irresis- 
tible impetuosity, and drove them with great slaughter 
into the town, and the works they had raised at the 
bridge of the river St. Charles. On the left and rear 

8 



8fl CAMPAIGN 

of tlie English, the action was not so violent. Some 
of the light infantry had thrown themselves into hou- 
ses ; where, being attacked, they defended themselves 
with great corn-age and resolution. Colonel Howe hav- 
ing taken post with two companies behind a small copse, 
sallied out frequently on the flanks of the enemy, du- 
ring this attack, and often drove them into heaps ; while 
brigadier Townshend advanced platoons against their 
front ; so that the right wing of the French were total- 
ly prevented from executing their first intention. The 
brigadier himself remained with Amherst's regiment, 
to support this dispostion, and to overawe a body of 
savages posted opposite to the light infantry, waiting 
for an op])ortunity to fall upon tlie rear of the British 
anny Greneral Wolfe being slain, and at the same 
time Mr. Monckton being dangerously wounded at the 
head of Lascelles' regiment, where he distinguished 
himself with remarkable gallantry, the command de- 
volved on brigadier Townshend, who hastened to the 
centre ; and finding the troops disordered in the pur- 
suit, formed them again with all possible expedition. 
This necessary task was scarce peiformed, when M de 
Bougainville, with a body of two thousand fresh men, 
appeared in the rear of the English. He had begum 
his march from Cape R.f)uge as soon as he received in- 
telligence that the British troops had gained the heights 
of Abraham, but did not come up in time to have any 
share in the battle. Mr Townsliend immediately or- 
dered two battalions, with two pieces of artillery, to 
advance against this officer ; who retired, at their ap- 
proach, among woods and swamps, where General 
Townshend very wisely declined hazarding a precari- 
ous attack. He had already obtained a complete victo- 
ry, taken a great number of French officers, and was 
possessed of a very advantageous situation, which it 
would have been imprudent to forego. The French 
General, M. de Montcalm, was morfally wounded in 
the battle, and conveyed into Quebec; from whence. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 8? 

before lie died, he wrote a letter to General To'wns- 
hend, recommending the prisoners to that generous hu- 
manity by which the British nation ia distinguished. 
His second in command was left wounded on the field ; 
and next day expired on board an English ship, to 
which he had been conveyed. About one thousand of 
the enemy were made prisoners, including a great num- 
ber of officers; and about five hundred were slam on 
the field of battle. The wreck of their army, after 
they had reinforced the garrison of Quebec, retii-ed to 
Point-au-Tremble ; frc^m whence they proceeded to 
Jacques Quatiers, where they re niained intrenched un- 
til ttiey were compelled by the severity of the weather 
to make the best of their "way to Trois Rivieres and 
Montreal. This important victory was obtained at the 
expense of fifty men killed, including nme oihcers : but 
the death of General Wolfe was a national loss, uni- 
versally lamented. He inherited from nature an ani- 
mating fervor of sentiment, an intuitive perception, an 
extensive capacity, and a passion for glory, which stim- 
ulated him to acquire every species of miutary knowl- 
edge that study could comprehend, that actual service 
could illustrate and confirm. This noble warmth of 
dispf>sition seldom fails to call forth and unfold the lib- 
eral virtues of the soul Brave above all estimation of 
danger, he was also generous, gentle, complacent, and 
humane ; the pattern of the ofHcer, the darling of the 
soldier ; there was a sublimity in his genius which soar- 
ed above the pitch of ordinary minds ; and had his fac- 
ulties been exercised to their full extent by opportuni- 
ty and action, had his judgment been fully matured by 
age and experience, he would without doubt have ri- 
valled in reputation the most celebrated captains of an- 
tiquity. 

Immediately after the battle of Quebec, Admiral 
Saunders, who, together with his subordinates Durrel 
and Holmes, had all along co-operated heartily with the 
land forces for the advantage of the service, sent up all 



83 CAMPAIGN 

the boats of the fleet with artillery and ammunition : 
and on the seventeenth day of the month sailed up, 
with all the ships of war, in a disposition to attack the 
lower town, while the upper part should be assaulted 
by General Townshend. This gentleman had employ- 
ed the time from the day of action in securing the camp 
with redoubts, in forming a military road for the can- 
non, in drawing up the artillery, preparing batteries, 
and cutting off" the enemy's communication with the 
country. On the seventeenth, before any battery could 
be finished, a flag of truce was sent from the town with 
proposals of capitulation; which, being maturely con- 
sidered by the General and Admiral, were accepted, 
and signed at eight next morning. They granted the 
more favorable terms, as the enemy continued to as- 
semble in the rear of the British army ; as the season 
was become wet, stormy, and cold, threatening the 
troops with sickness, and the fleet with accident, and 
as a considerable advantage would result from taking 
possession of the town while the walls were in a state 
of defence. What rendered the capitulation still more 
fortunate for the British General, was the information 
he afterwards received from deserters, that the enemy 
had rallied, and were reinforced behind Cape Rogue, 
under the command of M. de Levy, arrived from Mont- 
real for that purpose, with two regular battalions ; and 
that M. de Bougainville, at the head of eight hundred 
men, with a convoy of provisions, was actually on his 
march to throw himself into the town on the eighteenth, 
that very morning on which it was suixendered. The 
place was not then completely invested, as the enemy 
had broke the bridge of boats, and posted detachments 
in very strong works on the other side of the river St. 
Charles. The capitulation was no sooner ratified, than 
the British forces took possession of Quebec on the 
land siJe; and guards were posted in different parts of 
the town, to preserve order and discipline ; at the same 
time Captain Palliser, with a body of seamen, entered 



AGAINST QUEBEC. g» 

the lower to^v^^, and took the same precautions. Next 
day about a thousand prisoners were embarked on board 
transports, which proceeded to France with the first 
opportunity. Meanwhile the inhabitants of the coun- 
try came in great numbers to deUver up their arms, 
and take the oath of fidehty to the EngHsh govern- 
ment. The death of Montcahn, which was indeed 
an irreparable loss to France, in all probability over- 
whelmed the enemy with consternation, and confound- 
ed all their councils ; otherwise we cannot account for 
the tame surrender of Quebec to a handful of troops, 
even after the victory they had obtained : for although 
the place was not regularly fortified on the land side, 
and most of the houses were in ruins, their walls and 
parapets had not yet sustained the least damage ; the 
besiegers were hardly sufficient to complete the inves- 
titure ; a fresh army was assembled in the neighbor- 
hood, with which their communication continued open; 
the season was so far advanced that the British forces 
in a little time must have been forced to desist by the 
severity of the weather, and even retire with their fleet 
before the approach of winter, which never fails to 
freeze up the river St. Lawrence." 

[Jfr. Henry's JVarr alive resumed.'] 

November 15ih. Ai riving on JJie brow of the 
precipi. e, we tbiind ourselves on the plains of Abra- 
ham, so deservedly famous in story. IMie morning 
was cold, and we were thinly clad. While an ad- 
venturous pajty despatched by Arnold, under i he com- 
mand of one of Morgan's Lieutenants, were exam- 
ining the .walls of the city, we were pacnig the plains 
to-and-fro, in silence, to keep ourselves warm. The 
winter had set in — a cold northwester blew with un- 
common keenness. By the time (he reconnoiteriiig 
party returned, daylight was not very distant. '1 he 
party found every ilung t w;uds the city in a state of 
perfect quietueto-s. This report was delivered, in my 
8* 



90 CAMPAIGN 

hearing, to Morgan, however the world may have 
since been made to believe. Not even the cry of 
" All's well" was uttered, was a part of their report ; 
yet we heard that cry from the walls, even where we 
were : but this, in a direct line, was nearer to us than 
the voices opposite to the party. This was the hap- 
py moment ; but with our small and disjointed force, 
what could be done ? There was scarcely more tlian 
thiee hundred and fifty men, willino^ and deterujifu^d 
to be sure, but too few to assail a fortress like Clue- 
bee. If that had been known this night which was 
evidenced in a liew days by tlie fugitives from the 
city, Arnold would most assuredly have hazardedan 
attack. St. John's gate, which opens on Abraham's 
plains, and is a most important station, was unbai- 
red, nay, unclosed : nothing but a single cannon un- 
der the care of a drowsy watch, was there as a de- 
fence ; we were not a mile distant, and might have 
entered unknown, and even unseen. These are un- 
certain opinions, resting on I lie vaj^ue reports of the 
moment,, which miglit have been true orunlrue. My 
memory is, however, fresh irj the recollection of the 
heart-burnings this failure caused among us. Prov- 
idence, for wise purposes, would have it otherwise. 
Near daylight, requiring rest and lefreshment, the 
troops moved a mile, lo a laim-house of Lieutenant 
Governor (Jaldwell. This was a great pile of wood- 
en buildings, with numerous out houses, which tes- 
tified the agricultural spirit and taste of the owner. 
He, good soul, was then sntig in Quebec. Those 
who came first fared well, aiul as luck would have 
it, w^e were of the number: every thing wiJiin and 
without the house, became a prey. Adversity had 
destroyed in our minds every decorous or delicate sen- 
sation. Guards were stationed next the city. Wrap- 
ped in my blanket, fearless of events, casting my 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 91 

person on the floor of an elegant parlor, I slept sweet- 
ly and soundly till two in the afternoon, and then 
was roused solely by a cry that the enemy was ad- 
vancing. We flew to arras, and rather in a hurried 
manner, ran towards the city, which was nearly two 
miles from us. We saw no enemy. It lurned out 
(hat a Mr. Ogden, a cadet from Jersey, a laige and 
handsome young man, in favor wiih Arnold, had 
been authorized to place liie seniinels that day. He 
did place them, most stupidl}^ George Merchant, of 
Morgan's, a man who would at any time, give him 
fair-play, have sold his life dearly, he stationed in a 
thicket, within view of the enemy. At the time of 
placing him, when at his post, he was out of sight 
of the garrison ; but the mischief was, (though he 
could not be seen.) he could see no one approach ; 
he was taken absolutely unaware of danger. A ser- 
geant of the "seventh," who, from the manner of 
the thing, nmst have been clever, accompanied by a 
few privates, sliiy creeping through the stieets of the 
suburbs of St. John, and then under the cover of the 
bushes, sprung upon the devoted Mercliant, even be- 
fore he had time to cock his rifle. Merchant was a 
tall and handsome Virginian. In a few days, he, 
hunting-shirt and all, was sent to England, proba- 
bly as a finished specimen of the riflemen of tlie col- 
onies. The government there very liberally sent him 
liome in the following year. 

The capture of Merchant grieved us, and brought 
us within a few hundred \aids of the city. Arnold 
had the boldnes>', you might say the audacity, or still 
more correctly, the folly, to draw us up in a line in 
front and opposite to the wall of the city. The par- 
apet was lined by hundreds of gaping citizens and 
soldiers, whom our guns could not harm, because of 
tlie diaiance. They gave U3 a huzza ! We return- 



« CAJMPAIGN 

6(1 it, and remained a considerable time huzzaing, 
and spending- our powder aijainst. the walls, for we 
harmed no one. Some of our men to tiie right, un- 
der cover of something like ancient ditches and hil- 
locks, crept forward within two liundred yards of the 
works, but their firing was disregarded by the enemy 
as farcical. Febiger, who was a real and well-in- 
strucled soldier and engineer, did advance singly 
within a hundred paces, and pored with the eye of 
an adept. During ail tbis. as my station in the line 
happened to be on a mound, a few feet higher than 
the common level of the plain, it was perceptible 
tlirough the embrasuies that tbere was a vast bustle 
within. After some minutes a tbirty-six pounder was 
let loose upon us ; but so ill was the gun pointed, 
that the ball fell short, or passed bigb over our heads. 
Another and another succeeded — totbese salutes, we 
gave them all we c(suld, anotlierand another buzza. 
It must be confessed tfiat ibis ridiculous affair gave 
me a contemptible opinion of Arnold. Tbis notion 
was by no means singular. Morgan, Febiger, and 
other oihcers, who had seen service, did net hesitate 
to speak of it in (hat point of view. However, Ar- 
nold bad a vain desire to gratify, of which we were 
then ignorant. He was well known at Quebec. 
Formerly be had tradt;d from tbis port to the West 
Indies, most particularly in the article of horses. — 
Hence he was despised by the principal people. The 
epithet of "Horse-jockey," was freely and universal- 
ly bestowed upon bim by the Biitish. Having now 
obtained power, he became anxious to display it in 
the faces of those who had formerly despised and 
conteinned bim. The venerable ('arleton, an Irish- 
man of a most amiable and mild character, Colonel 
Maclean, a Scotchman, old in waifare, would not, in 
any shape, communicale with him. If Montgomery 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 03 

had originally been our commander, matters might 
have been more civilly conducted. This particulari- 
ty in relating a most trivial and disgussting occur- 
rence, arises from a desire to set before you a cau- 
tionary rule, which it will be prudent for you lo ob- 
serve in your historical reading. " Do not believe 
"an author unless the story he relates be probable, 
" accompanied by such circumstances as might rea- 
"sonably attend the transaction, unless he is corrob- 
" orated by others who speak on tl;at subject." Many 
of our wisest men within the colonies wrote and 
spoke of this bravading as a matter of moment, and 
with much applause. Some of our historianr^, (Gor- 
don,) have given it ceiebriiy. J^ut a more silly and 
boastful British historian, (Amwell,) says there was 
a dreadful cannonadf , by which many of the rebels 
were destroyed. The truth is, that this day not a 
drop of blood w^as shed but that of Gt)vernor Cald- 
well's horned cattle, hogs, and poidtry, which run 
plentifully. After this vict,ory in huzzaing, which 
was boy's play, and suited me to a hair, we return- 
ed to quarters to partake of the good things of this 
world. 

'i he next day, (Nov. 15th,) a scene of a different 
kind opened, wl)ii h let us into the true character of 
Arnold. In the wilderr)ess the men had been stint- 
ed to a pint of flour by the day. This scanty allow- 
ance of flour had been continued since we had come 
into this pletitiful country. Morgan, Hendricks, and 
Smith, waited upon the commander-in-chief, to rep- 
resent the grievance and obtain redress. Altercation 
and warm language took place. Smith, with his u- 
sua! loquacity, told us that Moigan seemed at one 
time on the point of striking Arnold. We fared the 
better lor this interview. 

On the following day, (Nov. 16th,) the rifle-com- 



04 CAMPAIGN 

panics removerl further from the city. About half a 
mile from Caldwell's house oui" company obtained ex- 
cellent quarter;?, in (he hoiibeof a French gcntlen»an, 
who seemed wealthy. He ^\a8 pleasing in his man- 
ners, but the rudeness our ungovernable men exhib- 
ited, created in him an apparefit disgust to\Aards us. 
Here we remained neai a week. During that time, 
we had constant and severe duty to pei foim. 'I'here 
was a large building on the low grounds, near the 
river St. Charles, \^hich was occupied as a tuuinery, 
by a most lespectable society of ladies. In front of 
this liouse, ai tlie distance of fifty yards, there \^asa 
spacious log building, witich seemed to be a school- 
house, occupied by the priesthood atler»dant on the 
nunnery. Thi- liouse ^^e took jjosses.-iori ol as a 
guard-house, under an idea, (as it stood directly be- 
tween the town and the nunnery, ^^hi(h contained 
some piecious deposites, that thty had not had time 
to remove,) that the enemy would not fire in this di- 
rection. The conjeclme was just. 

Nov. IGth. — In the afiermon a distressing occur- 
rence t»H)k place here, notwiihstandinii i-ur vicinity to 
this holy place. ''I'owards I he evening the guard \> as 
relieved. Lieutenant Simpson commajided it. 1'his 
guard was composed of two-and-twenty fine fellows 
of OUI company. When the relief-guard came, a 
Frenchman, of a must villainous appearance, both as 
to person and visage, came to our Lieutenant with a 
written order from Colonel Arnold, commanding him 
to accompany the bearer, who would be our guide a- 
cross the river St. C'harles, to obtain some cattle teed- 
ing beyond it, on the account of government. The 
order, in the first insiance, because of its preposter- 
ousness, was dotibted, but, upoii a little reflection, o- 
beyed. Knowing the danger, our worthy Lieuten- 
ant also knew the best and only means of executing 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 95 

the enterpnze. The call " come on, lads." was ut- 
tered. We ran with speed from the guard-house 
some hundred.- of yards, over the plain toihc mouth 
of the St. Charles, where the ferry is. Near (he fer- 
ry there was a lars^e wind-mill, and near it stood a 
small house resembhng a cooper's shop. Two carts 
of a large size were passing, the ferry heavily laden 
with the household-stuff, women, and children of the 
townsmen flung from the subuihs of St. Roqtje, con- 
tiguous to palace-gate, to avoid the terrible and fatal 
effects of war. The carts were a heady in a large 
scow or flat-bottomed boat, and the ferrymen, seeing 
us coniinf]^, were tugging hard at the ferry-rope to get 
off the boat, whicli was aground, before we should 
arrive. It was no small matter, in exertion, to out- 
do people of our agility. Simpson, with his usual 
good humor, urged the race, from a hope that the 
gai rison would not fire upon us when in the boat with 
their flying townsmen. The weight of our bodies 
and arms put the boat au round in good earnest. — 
Simpson vociferously urging the men to free the boat, 
directed them to place their guns in my arms, stand- 
ing on the bow. He ordered me to watch th.e flash- 
es of the cannon* of the ciiy, near palace gate. — 
Jtnnping into the water mid-deep, all but Serjeant 
Dixon and myself, they were pushing, pulling, and 
with handspikes attempting to float the scow. One 
of the cans stood between Dixon and myself — he 
was tugging at the ferry rope. Presently ''a shot," 
was called ; it. went wide of llie boat, its mark. The 
exertions of the party were red()ul)led. Keeping an 
eye upon the town, the sun about siting in a clear 

*This was a ridirulon^- practice, universally a'ln|(ted in fhecamp 
near B.).-^fon, and wa-^ now ptirsutd at this jjlacp. It i?. a)erel> oe- 
signaiive of the raw soldier. Such iudicatiuns of fear »tiould now- 
a-daj-s be severely repritnantled. 



96 CAMPAIGN 

sky, tlie view was beauriful indeed, but somewhat 
terrific. Battlements like these liad been unknown 
to me. Our boat lay like a rock in the water, and 
was a target at point blank shot about three-fourths 
of a mile from palace gate, which issues into Saint 
Roque. I would have adored all the saints in the 
calendar if honor and their worships would have per- 
mitted the transportation of my person a few perches 
from the spot where it then stood, by the austere com- 
mand of duty. It was plainly obseivable that many 
persons were engaged in preparing the guns for an- 
other discharge. Our brave men were straining ev- 
ery nerve to obtain success. " A shot," was all that 
could be said, when a thirty-six pound ball, touching 
the lower edge of the nob of the cart-wheel, descend- 
ing a little, took the leg of my patriotic friend below 
the knee, and carried away the bones of that part 
entirely. " Oh ! Simpson," he cried, " I am gone." 
Simpson, whose heart uas tender and kind, leaped 
into the boat : calling to the men, the person of Dix- 
on was borne to the wind-mill. Now a roar of tri- 
umph was heard from the city, accompanied by some 
tolerably well diiected shots. The unfoitunateman 
was borne at a slow and soIem:i pace to the guard- 
house — the enemy every now and then sending us 
his majesty's compliments, in the shape of a 24 or 
36 pound ball. When tl.e procession came inio a 
line with the town, the guard-house, and nunnery, 
the firing ceased. At the time we were most busily 
engaged with Dixon, atthe wind-mill, the vile French- 
man, aghast and horror-stricken, fled from us to the 
city. If his desertion had been noticed in lime, his 
fate had been sealed ; but the rascal was unobserv- 
ed till he had run several hundred yards along the 
beach of the bay of St. Charles. He turned out to 
be a spy, puiposely sent by government to decoy and 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 97 

entrap us, and he succeeded but too easily with the 
vigilant Arnold. Dixon was now carried on a litter 
to the house of an English gentleman, about a mile 
off. An amputation took place — a tetanus followed, 
which, about nine o'clock of the ensuing day, ended 
in the dissolution of this honorable citizen and sol- 
dier. There are many reasons for detailing this af- 
fair so minutely to you. Aniong these are, to impress 
upon your minds an idea of the manners and spirit 
of those times : our means and rude method of war- 
fare ; but more particularly for the purpose of intro- 
ducing to your observation an anecdote of Dixon, 
which is characteristic of the ideas and feelings tlien 
entertained by the generality of his countrymen. Be- 
fore we left our native homes, tea had, as it were, be- 
come an abomination even to the ladies. The taxa- 
tion of it by the Parliament of England, with de- 
sign to draw from us a trifling revenue, was made 
the pretence with the great body of the people, for 
our opposition to government. The true ground, 
however, with the politically wise, was, that that law 
annihilated our rights as Englishmen. It is an ax- 
iom of the common law of our glorious ancestors, 
that taxation and representation must go hand in 
hand. This rule was now violated. Hence it was, 
that no male or female, knowing their rights, if pos- 
sessed of the least spark of patriotism, would deign 
to taste of that delightful beverage. The lady of the 
house, though not one who approved of our principles 
of action, was very attentive to our wounded com- 
panion ; she presented him a bowl of tea : "No, 
madam," said he, "it is the ruin of my country." 

Uttering this noble sentiment, (Nov. I7ih,) this in- 
valuable citizen died, sincerely lamented by every one 
who had the opportunity of knowing his virtues. 
Dixoa was a gentlwnan of good property and edu- 
9 



08 CAMPAIGN 

cation, though no more than (he first sergeant of our 
company. His estate lay in West Hanover town- 
ship, in the county of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He 
was an agriculturist, which, in the vagueness and 
uncertainty of our language, is called " a farmer." 
In fact he was a freeholder, the possessor of an ex- 
cellent tract of land, accompanied by all those agree- 
ahles which render the cultivator of the earth, in 
Pennsylvania, the most independent, and, with pru- 
dent economy, the most happy of human beings. 
The following mornins-, Simpson was the first to 
give me an account of Dixon's death, which affect- 
ed us much. His corpse received tiie usual military 
honors. Duty compelled my absence elsewhere. 
The blood of bixon was the first oblation made up- 
on the altar of liberty at (Quebec, and Merchant was 
the first prisoner. The latter was a brave and de- 
termined soldier, fitted for subordinate station ; the 
former was intuitively a captain. The city and vi- 
cinity occupied the attention of the commander near- 
ly a week 

Nov. 18th. — Not being fully in the secret, it does 
not become me to recount the causes of our retreat 
to Point aux Tremble. We did, however, make this 
retrograde movement rather in a slovenly style, ac- 
companied, probably, by the maledictions of the cler- 
gy and nobility, but attended by the regrets of a host 
of well-wishers among the peasantry. Point aux 
Tremble is at the distance of twenty, or more, miles 
from Quebec. The route thiiher, though in a se- 
vere winter, was interesting. The woods were leaf- 
less, except as to those trees of the fir-kind ; but nu- 
merous neat and handsomely-situated farm-houses, 
and many beautiful landscap«3s were presented, and 
enhvened our march along this majestic stream. At 
De.troit, which is supposed to be little short of nine 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 09 

hundred miles from duebec, even there it is no con- 
temptible river ; but here the immenrfe volimie of its 
waters, strikes the mind of the stranij^er with aston- 
ishmeni and rapture. Our Susqueiianna, which, 
from its grandeur, attracts the European eye, stands 
in a low grade when compared wiih the St. Law- 
rence. Ascending the river, at a distance of ten or 
fifteen miles we observed the rapid passage, down 
stream, of a boat, and soon afterwards of a ship, one 
or ihe other of whicli contained the person of Sir 
Guy Carleton. That it was tfie Governor of the 
province, flying from Montgomery, who had by this 
time captured Montreal, We were informeil by a spe- 
cial kind of messenger, which was no other than the 
report of the cannon, by way of feu-de-joie, upon his 
arrival at the capital. Water, in regard to the com- 
munication of sound, is nearly as good a conductor 
as metals are, for the transmission of the electric flu- 
id. Though near to the place of our destination, we 
could mark with precision the report of every gun. 
Point aux Tremble, ai this time, had assumed the 
appearance of a stiaggling village. There was a 
spacious chapel, where the ceremonies of the Roman 
Catholic religion were performed wiih a pomp not 
seen in our churches, hut by a fervency and zeal ap- 
parently very piijus, which became a severe and ad- 
ditional stroke at early prejudices. Quarters were 
obtained in the village and iarm houses, dispersed o- 
ver a space of some miles, up and down the river. 
We enjoyed as much comfort as light houses, warm 
fires, and our scantiness of clothing would admit. 
Provisions were in plenty, particularly beef, which, 
though small in bulk, was of an excellent flavor. 
Being in a few days domesticated, as it were, in a re- 
spectable farmer's house, we had leisure to observe 
the economy of the famil)^ Every ere vice through 



100 CAMPAIGN 

which cold air could penetrate, was carefull}^ pasted 
with strips of paper of every color. To permit the 
cold air lo intrude is not the only evil which results ; 
hut the smallest interstice admits with the air an al- 
most impalpable snow, which is very inconvenient, 
particularly at night, when the winds blow most 
sharply. A stove of iron stood a small space from 
the wall of the kitchen chimney, but in such a way 
that it might be encompassed by the family or guests. 
This stove w^as kept continually hot, both by day 
and by night. Over the stove there is a rack so con- 
structed as to serve for the drying of wet clothes, 
moccasins, (fee. 6cc. When these people slaughter 
their beasts for winter use, they cut up the meat in- 
to small pieces, such as a half pound, two pounds, 
&c. according to the number in the family. In the 
evening before bediime, the females of the house pre- 
pare the dinner of the following day. It may be par- 
ticularly described, as it v^'as done in our view for a 
number of days together, and during the time was 
never varied. This was the manner : a piece of pork 
or beef, or a portion of each kind, together witli a suf- 
ficiency of cabbaije, potatoes, and turnips, seasoned 
with salt, and an adequate quantity of water, were 
put into a neat tin kettle \v\\h a close lid. The ket- 
tle, thus replenished, was placed on ihe stove in the 
room where we all slept, and there it simmered till 
the lime cf rising, when it was taken to a small fire 
in the kitchen, where a stewing continued till near 
noon, when they dined. The contents were turned 
into a large basin. Each person had a plate ; no 
knife was Uv-^ed, except one to cut the bread, but a 
five or six pronged fork answered the purposes of a 
spoon. Tlie meat required no culling, as it was re- 
duced to a nmcilage, or at least to shreds. This, 
you may say, is trifling information, and unworthy 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 101 

of your notice ; but according to my mind, it is im- 
portant to all of us, to know the habits, manners, 
and means of existence of that class of society, which 
in all nations, compose the bulk and strength of the 
bodv politic. Our dinner followed in a few hours. 
The manner of our cookery excited astonishment in 
our hosts. As much beef was consumed at a single 
meal, as would have served this family for a week. 
Remember, however, that the mess consisted of per- 
sons who were entitled to double and treble rations. 
Two rosy cheeked daughters of the house, soon con- 
trived the means and obtained the surplus. This 
circumstance most probably made us agreeable to the 
family, for we had nothing else to bestow. 

The snow had now fallen in abundance, and en- 
livened the country. Sleighs and sleds were passing 
in every direction. The farmers began to supply 
themselves with a full stock of winter's fuel from the 
forest. No fowls were visible about the house ; a few 
were kept alive for breeding in tlie ensuing summer, 
in a close and warm coop in the upper sioiy of the 
barn. The rest of the fowls, intended for the market 
or winter's use, had been slaughtered early in au- 
tumn, at the setting in of the frost, and were hung 
up in the feathers in the garret. Thence they were 
taken as wanted. Towards March they become un- 
savory, but in no way tainted. We became acquain- 
ted with this kind of economy, but upon a much lar- 
ger scale afterwards, when in a state of affliction and 
sorrow. 

The roads in this part of Canada are kept in ex- 
cellent order. The corvee of European France is 
maintained by the Government in fulleifect, as to its 
principles, but far less rigid in its practice. The 
roads in low grounds were ditched on the sides and 
curved towards the centre. Every forty or fifty yards 

9* 



IQi CAMPAIGN 

on each side of the road, throughout the extent of it, 
young pines were stuck in the ground, to mark the 
cential and safest passage. It is a law that the land- 
holder, whenever a snow falls, either by day or night, 
when ii ceases, shall, with his horses and cariole, re- 
trace the road formed on the preceding snow, through- 
out the extent of his grounds. This is a laborious 
duty, but it was discernible that it was peformed with 
punctuality, if not with pleasure. In December, 
January, and February, when the snow lays from 
three to five feet deep over the surface, there is no 
travelling in this country, but by ways thus formed, 
or upon snow shoes. 

On the 1st of December, General Montgomery, 
who was anxiously expected, arrived. Arnold's corps 
was paraded in front of tF>e chapel. It was lowering 
and cold, but the appearance of the General here, 
gave us warmth and animation. He was well-limb- 
ed, tall, and handson»e, though his face was much 
pock-marked. His air and manner designated the 
real soldier. He made us a short, but energetic and 
elegant speech, the burthen of which was, an ap- 
plause of our spirit in passing the wilderness ; a hope 
that our perseverance in the same spirit woidd con- 
tinue ; and a promi;?e of warm clothing. The lat- 
ter was a most comfortable assurance. A few huz- 
zas from our freezing bodies were returned to this ad- 
dress of the gallant hero. Now new life was infu- 
sed into the whole of the corps. 

The next day (December 2,) we retraced the route 
from Quebec. A snow had fallen during the night, 
and continued falling. To march on tliissnow wag 
a n>ost fatiguing business. By this timewe had gen- 
erally furnished ourselves with seal-skin moccasins, 
which are large, and according to the usage of the 
country, stuffol with hay or leaves, to keep the feet 



AGAINST QUEBEC. lOi 

dry and warm. Every step taken in the dry snow, 
the moccasin liaving no rai-^ed heel to support the 
position of the ioo(, it slipped back and produced great 
weariness. On this march the use of the snow-shoe 
was very obvious, but we were destitute of that ar- 
ticle. The evening brought up the riflemen at an 
extensive liouse in the parish of St. Foix, about three 
iTiiies from duebec. It was inhabited by tenants. 
We took possession of a front parlor on the left, Mor- 
gan upon the light, Hendricks a back apartment, and 
the soldiery in the upper parts of the housCjand some 
warm outbuikiings. 

The next day, (December 3d,) Morgan not find- 
ing himself comfortable, moved a short space near- 
er to the city. Here, in low and pretty country hou- 
ses, he and his men were neatly accommodated. It 
seemed to me that the Canadians in the vicinage of 
Quebec lived quite as conjfortably as the gener- 
ality of the Pennsylvanians did at that time in the 
county of Lancaster. It may readily occur to you 
that some restriction ought to cramp this latitude of 
expression : take it, however, as a description of our 
sensations, entertained in our minds bv the conve- 
niences we now enjoyed, in opposition to our laie pri- 
vations We had just arrived from a dreary and in- 
hospitable wild, half-starved and thinly clothed, in a 
land of plenty, where we had full rations and warm 
quarters; consequently our present feelings, contrast- 
ed with former sufferings, might have appreciated in 
too high a degree the happiness of the Canadian. — 
What is now said, ought not to be taken in anywise 
as an allusion to the political rights, but be confined 
solely to the apparent prosperity and economy of fam- 
ilies. 

December 12th. We remained about ten days at 
these quarters. The tours of duty, to Arnold's par- 



106 CAMPAIGN 

ty, were peculiarly severe. The officers and men 
etill wore iioLhing else than the remains of the sum- 
mer clothing", which, being on their backs, had esca- 
ped destruction in the disasters of the wilderness. 
The snow lay three feet de< p over the face of the 
whole country, and there was an addition to it al- 
most daily. Many impedinicnts occurred to delay 
the transportation of the clothing which Gen. Mont- 
gomery had procured for us at Montreal. Our mis- 
erable state, contrary to our principles, excited an il- 
licit desire to be apparelled more comfortably. This 
desire would probal)ly have lain dormant, but for a 
scoundrel Canadian, who in all likelihood was an en- 
emy of Lieutenant Governor Croniie. One morn- 
ing, having returned from a cold night's duly near 
palace gate, the fellow addressed Sinipson, who was 
the only ( fficer in quarters, and conmiunicated the 
information, " That about two miles up the St. Law- 
rence, lay a country seat of Governor Cromie, stock- 
ed with many things we wanted, and he would be 
our guide." Carioles were immediately procured. 
The house, a neat box, was romantically situated on 
the steep bank of the river, not very distant from a 
chapel. Though in the midst of winter, the spot 
displayed the elegant taste and abundant wealth of 
the owner. It must be a most delightful summer 
residence, in the months of July and August, when 
the heat of this northern climate seems greater to 
sensation than that of our country in the same sea- 
son. The house was closed ; knocking, the hall 
door was opened to us by an Irishwoman, who, of 
the fair sex, was the largest and most brawny that 
ever came under my notice. She was the steward- 
ess of the house. 6in- questions were answered with 
an apparent affability and frankness. She introdu- 
ced us into the kitchen, a large apartment, well-fill- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 107 

ed with those articles which good livers think neces- 
sary to the happy enjoyment of life. Here we ob- 
served five or six Canadian servants huddled into a 
corner of the kitchen, trenibhng with feat. Our pry- 
ing eyes soon discovered a trap-door leading into the 
cellar. Tn the counhy houses of Canada, because of 
the frigidity of the climate, the cellars are usually 
under a warm room, and are principally intended for 
the preservation of vegetables, 'i'he cavity in this 
instance abounded with a great variety of eatables, 
of which we were not in the immediate want. The 
men entered it — fiikin after firkin of butter, lard, tal- 
low, beef, pork, fresh and salt — all became a prey. 
While the men were rummaging below, the Lieuten- 
ant descended to cause more despatch. My duty 
was to remain at the end of the trap-door, with my 
back to the wall, and rifle cocked as a sentry, keep- 
ing a strict eye on the servants. My good Irishwo- 
man frequently beckoned to me to descend : her drift 
was to catch us all in the trap. Luckily she was 
comprehended. The cellar and kitchen being thor- 
oughly rifled, and the spoil borne to the sleighs, the 
party dispersed into the other apartments. Here was 
elegance. The walls and partitions were beautiful- 
ly papered, and decorated with large engravings, 
maps, &c. &c. of the most celebrated artists. A no- 
ble view of the city of Philadelphia, upon a large 
scale, taken from the neighborhood of Cooper's ferry, 
drew my attention, and raised some compunctive i- 
deas; but war and the sciences always stand at 
arms length in the contests of niankind. Tlie lat- 
ter must succumb in the tumult. Our attention was 
much more attracted by thecostly feather beds, coun- 
terpanes, and charuiing rose-blankets, which the 
house aflbrded. Of these there was good store, and 
we left not a jot behind us. The nooks and cievi- 



108 CAMPAIGN 

ces in the carioles were filled with smaller articles ; 
several dozen of admirably finished case-knives and 
forks — even a sett of desert knives obtained the no- 
tice of our cupidity. Articles of lesser moment, not 
a thousandth part as useful, did not escape the all- 
grasping hands of the soldiery. In a back apart- 
ment there stood a mahogany couch or settee, in a 
highly finished style, l^he woodwork of the couch 
was raised on all sides by cushioning, and lastly, 
covered by a richly figured silk. This, to us, was 
lumber, besides our carioles were full. However, we 
grabbed the matrass and pallets, all equally elegant 
as the couch. Having, as we thought, divested his 
Excellency of all the articles of prime necessity, we 
departed, ostensibly and even audibly accompanied 
by the pious blessings of the stewardess for our mod- 
eration. No doubt she had her mental reservations ; 
on such business as this, we regarded neither. Near 
the chapel, we met a party of Morgan's men coming 
to do that which we had already done. The officer 
seemed chagrined when he saw the extent of our 
plunder. He went on, and finally ransacked the 
house, and yet a little more, the stables. The joy of 
our men, among whom the plimder was distributed 
in nearly equal portions, was extravagant. Now an 
operation of the human mind, which often takes 
place in society, and is every day discernible by per- 
sons of observation, b;'came clearly obvious. " Let a 
man once with impunity desert the strict rule of right, 
all subsequent aggression is not only increased in a- 
trocity, but is done without qualm of conscience." 
Though our company was composed principally of 
freeholders, or the sons of such, bred at home under 
the strictures of religion and morality, yet when the 
reing of decorum were loosed, and the honorable feel- 
ing weakened, it became impossible to adiuinister re- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 109 

Strain t. The person of a lory, or his property, be- 
came fair game, and tiiis at the denunciation of some 
base domestic villain. 

On the morning following, (Dec. 13th,) the same 
audacious scoundrel again returned. By leading to 
the first affair, and his intercourse with the privates, 
he had so wormed himself into their good graces, that 
nothing would do but a system of marauding upon 
our supposed enemies^ the tories. In tliis new expe- 
dition, which was further than the former, the offi- 
cers thought it prudent to accompany the men, in 
truth to keep order and repress their ardency. We 
arrived at a farm said to^belong to Governor Cromie 
or some other inhabitant of Q,uebec. The farm- 
house, though low, being but one story, was capa- 
cious, and tolerably neat. The barn built of logs, 
with a threshing-floor in the centre, was from seven- 
ty to eighty feet in length. The tenant, his wife, 
and children, shuddered upon our approach. Assu- 
rances that they should be unharmed, relieved their 
fears. The tenant pointed out to us the horned-cat- 
tle, pigs, and poultry of his landlord. These we shot 
down without mercy, or drove before us to our quar- 
ters. Thus we obtained a tolerable load for our car- 
avan, which consisted of five or six carioles. 

With this disreputable exploit, marauding ceased. 
A returning sense of decency and order, emanating 
from ourselves, produced a species of contrition. It 
is a solemn truth, that we plundered none but those 
who were notoriously tories, and then within the wallg 
of Quebec. The clergy, the nobles, and the peas- 
antry, were respected and protected, especially the 
latter, with whom, to use a trite expression, %ve frat- 
ernized. The minuteness of this description of oc- 
currences of a trivial, yet disgraceful nature, is made 
the more strongly to impress your minds with the 
10 



no CAMPAIGN 

horrors attendant on civil wars. This species of war, 
more than any other, not only affects the great and 
the wealthy, but it intrudes itself into, and devastates 
the cottage. This the American people know, from 
the many melancholy scenes that succeeded the pe- 
riod spoken of. 

Gracious and Almighty God ! the shield and pro- 
tector of the good, as well as thou art the scourge of 
the base and wicked nation, avert from my country 
this, the most terrible of thy modes of temporal ven- 
geance. 

December I5th. — In a shwt time the rifle compa- 
nies moved and occupied good quarters on the low 
grounds, near St. Charles' river, and about two miles 
from (Quebec. Our clothing was still of the flimsy 
kind before noted, but our hearts were light, even to 
merriment. Individually, from our own funds, we 
supphed ourselves with arm-gloves, and renewed our 
moccasins. This was about the middle of Decem- 
ber. During all this time our daily duty was labori- 
ous in various ways, and every other night we moun- 
ted guard at St. Roque. A guard-house, ere this, 
had been established at this place, in a very large 
stone house, which, though strong, (being exposed to 
the enemy's fire,) was soon battered about our ears ; i 
the distance scarcely more than three hundred yards. 
That position was changed for one more secure. A 
house that had been a tavern was adopted in its stead. 
This house was peculiarly situated. It was compar- 
atively small with the former in its dimensions, but 
the walls were strong, and the ceilings bomb-proof. 
It stood under the hill, so as to be out of the range 
of the shot from the ramparts contiguous to Palace- 
gate, which were elevated far above us. Simpson 
would say, "Jack, let us have a shot at those fel- 
lows." Even at noon-day we w^oiild creep along close 



AGAINST QUEBEC. Ill 

to the bouses which ranged under the hill, but close 
in with it, till w^e came within forty yards of Palace 
gate. Here was a smith's shop, formed of logs, 
through the crevices of which we would fire, at an 
angle of 70, at the sentries above us. Many of them 
were killed, and it was said, several officers. This 
was dishonorable war, though authorized by the prac- 
tices of those times. The distance from this guard- 
house to Palace-gate, may be three hundred and fif- 
ty yards. The hill, at the back of the house, seem- 
ed to make an angle of 60 or 70 degrees. This ac- 
clivity continued from the walls of the city, and a- 
round it by the lower town, (where it is greatest,) for 
many miles up the St. Lawrence and St. Charles, 
and forms the basis of Abraham's Plains. It was 
about that time the York artillerists, under Captain 
Lamb, had constructed a battery on the Plains, at 
the distance of 600 or 700 hundred yards from the 
fortress. The earth was too difficult for the intrench- 
ing tools to pierce ; the only method left was to raise 
a battery composed of ice and snow. The snow Avas 
made into ice by the addition of water. The work 
was done in the night time. Five or six 9 pounders 
and a howitzer were placed in it. It w^as scarcely 
completed, and our guns had opened on the city, be- 
fore it was pierced through and through by the weigh- 
tier metal of the enemy. Several lives w^ere lost on 
the first and second day. Yet the experiment was 
persisted in, till a single ball, piercing the battery, kill- 
ed and wounded three persons. In the quarters last 
mentioned, we enjoyed some pleasant days. The 
winter in Canada, as with us, is the season of good 
humor and joy. 

December 18th, 19th. Upon a secession from the 
out-post, or other military employments, we Avere a- 
greeably received in the farm houses arou/id, Our 



112 CAMPAIGN 

engagemeiitg near Palace gate still continued to be 
of the arduous kind : our numbers being few, every 
second watch was performed by the same persons 
who had made the guard the last but one. Between 
the guard house and the extreme end of the suburbs 
of St. Roque, which may be half a mile from the 
ramparts, there was a rising ground in the main 
Btreet, fairly in view of the enemy, and whilst we 
relieved in daylight, was raked, even by grape shot. 
Some good men were lost here. This circumstance 
changed the time of relief to nine o'clock in the eve- 
ning. The riflemen were principally employed as 
guards at this dangerous station. It is but fair and 
honest to relate to you an anecdote concerning my- 
eelf, which will convey to your minds some notion of 
that afTection of the head or heart which the milita- 
ry call a panic-terror. Being one of the guard and 
having been relieved as a sentry about twelve or one 
o'clock at night, upon returning to the guard house 
in a dozing state, I cast myself on a bench next the 
back wall. Young, my sleeps were deep and heavy ; 
my youth obtained this grace from Simpson, the of- 
ficer who commanded. About three o'clock I was 
roused by a horrible noise. The enemy, in casting 
their shells, usually began in the evening, and threw 
but a few ; towards morning they became more alert. 
Our station being out of sight, it v/as so managed as 
to throw the shells on the side of the hill, directly 
back of us, so as they would trundle down against 
the wall of the guard house. This had frequently 
occurred before, but was not minded. A thirteen- 
inch shell, thus thrown, came immediately opposite 
the place where my head lay ; to be sure, the three 
foot wall was between us. The bursting report was 
tremendous, but it was heard in a profound sleep. 
Starting instantly, though unconscious of the cause, 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 113 

and running probably fifty yards, through untrod 
snow, three feet deep, to a coal house, a place quite 
unknown to me before, it was ten or fifteen minutes 
before the extreme cold restored that kind of sensi- 
bility which enabled me to know my real situation. 
Knowing nothing of the cause, the probable effect, 
nor any of the consequences which might follow 
from this involuntary exertion, it seemed to me to be 
a species of the panic which has been known to af- 
fect whole armies. The circumstance here related, 
caused a laugh against me ; but it was soon discov- 
ered that those of the soldiery, though wide awake, 
were as much panic-stricken as myself. The laugh 
rebounded upon them. During this period we had 
many bitter nights. To give you some idea of a 
Canada winter, allow me to relate an occurrence 
which is literally genuine. 

December 24Lh. One night, at the time of re- 
lief, a confidential person came from Colonel Arnold, 
accompanied by an Irish gentleman named Craig, 
directing the relieved guard to escort him to his own 
house, which stood between twenty and thirty paces 
from Palace gate. Craig was a merchant of consid- 
erable wealth, and what was more, an excellent 
whig. He was expelled from his habitation because 
of his whigism, and took refuge in Arnold's quarters. 
Montgomery by this time had furnished us with per- 
sonal clothing suitable to the cUmate, but there were 
a thousand other things wanting for comfortable ac- 
commodation. Many of these Mr. Craig possessed, 
and which Arnold's luxurious cupidity desired. — 
Craig's house was an extensive building, three sto- 
ries high, with back buildings of an equal height, 
running far in the rear along the foot of the hill. 
This last building consisted of stores, which, as well 
as the house, was of brick work. We came to the 
10* 



114 CAMPAIGN 

back part of the house Bilenlly, and with the utmost 
caution. Mr. Craig, by a slight knock, brought a trus- 
ty okl negro to the door, who was the sole guardian 
of the house. The objects of Mr. Craig were frying 
pans, skillets, and a great variety of other articles of 
ironmongery, together with cloths, flannels, linens, 
dec. dec. The party with Craig entered the house. 
As a person in whom it pleased the officers to place 
confidence, it became my business to watch the Pal- 
ace gate. There was a clear moonlight, but it was 
exceedingly bleak. My place of observation was un- 
der a brick arch, over which were stores of Mr. Craig, 
perhaps less than eighty feet from Palace gate. My 
gloves being good and well lined with fur, and my 
moccasins of the best kind, well stuffed, unseen I 
continually paced the width of the arch; my com- 
panions seemed to employ too much time. Some 
Frenchmen, of Colonel Livingston's regiment, with- 
out our knowledge, had been below Palace gate, ma- 
rauding. Repassing the house we were at, like so 
many emissaries from the pit, they set up a yelling 
and horrid din, which not only scared our party, but 
alarmed the garrison itself. My companions in the 
house, (apprehensive of a sally from Palace gate,) fled, 
carrying all they could. Though I heard the noise, 
the flight of my friends was unseen, as they emerg- 
ed from the cellars. The noise and bustle created 
by the Canadians, attracted the attention of the ene- 
my. Large and small shells were thrown in every 
direction wherever a noise was heard in St. Roque. 
Having on a fine white blanket coat, and turning 
my cap, or " bonnet rogue" inside out, the inside be- 
ing white, made me, as it were, invisible in the snow. 
Under the arch the conversation of the sentries, as it 
were, almost over my head, was very distinguishable. 
In this cold region many reasons operate to induce 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 116 

the placing two sentries at the same post — they enli- 
ven each other by conversing, and it prevents the fa- 
tal effects which follow from standing still in one po- 
sition. Fifteen minutes, at this time, was the term 
of the sentries' standing. The time of my standing 
under the arch seemed to be several hours ; yet hon- 
or and duty required perseverence. At length, being 
wearied out— going to the back door of the house and 
knocking — no whisper could be lieard within : the 
old negro was soundly asleep in his bomb-proof shell. 
At this moment those Canadians ran past the gate- 
way again, with their usual noisy jabber : to me, in 
my deserted state, it se'emed a sally of the enemy. 
There was no outlet but by the way we came, which 
seemed hazardous. Running, gun in hand, into a 
large enclosure, which was a garden of Mr. Craig, 
here was a new dilemma. There was no escape but 
by returning to the house or climbing a palisade 20 
feet high. The latter was preferred ; but my rifle 
was left within the enclosure, as no means could be 
fallen upon to get it over the stockade. The guard 
house was soon reached. One of the sergeants kind- 
ly returned with me to assist in bringing over my 
gun. It was grasped with ecstacy : alas ! the deter- 
mination never to part with it again, but with life, 
was futile. While in the enclosure, going from and 
returning to it, we were assailed with grape shot and 
shells, not by any means aimed at us, (for the enemy 
knew not that we were there,) but was intended to 
disperse those vociferous and vile Canadians, and it 
had the effect. They were as cowardly as noisy. 
The cohorn shells were handsomely managed. They 
usually burst at fifteen or twenty feet from the earth, 
so as to scatter their destructive effects more widely. 
Again coming to the guard house, my immediate 
friends all gone, I ran thence to our quarters, (about 



116 CAMPAIGN 

two miles,) with great speed. This was about three 
o'clock in the morning. Coming to quarters, my feet 
and hands were numbed, without ever having, du- 
ring those many dreary hours, been sensible of the 
cold. It was soon discovered that they were frozen. 
PuUing off my leggins, fee. and immei'ging my feet 
and legs knee deep in the snow at the door, rubbing 
with my hands a few minutes, soon caused a re-cir- 
culation of the blood ; the hands were restored by the 
act. For fifteen, and even twenty years afterwards, 
the intolerable effects of that night's frost were most 
sensibly felt. The soles of my feet, particularly the 
prominences, were severely frost-bitten and much in- 
flamed : so it was as to my hands. But it was very 
ren]arkable that these subsequent annual painings, 
uniformly attacked me in the same month of the 
year in which the cause occurred. 

On the night of the 20th or 21st of December, a 
snow storm, driving fiercely from the north-east, in- 
duced the noble Montgomery to order an attack on 
the fortress. Our force altogether, did not amount to 
more than 1100 men, and many of these, by contri- 
vances of their own, were in the hospital, which, by 
this time, was transferred to the nunnery. The storm 
abated — the moon shone, and we retired, truly un- 
willing, to repose. We had caught our commander's 
spirit. He was anxious, after the capture of Cham- 
blee, St. Johns, and Montreal, to add (Quebec, as a 
crowning trophy to the laurels already won. Cap- 
tain Smith, the head of our mess, as Captain, had 
been invited to General Montgomery's council of of- 
ficers ; none under that grade having been called. 
Like most uninstructed men, he was talkative, and 
what is much worse in military affairs, very commu- 
nicative. I believe blushing followed the intelligence 
he gave me : the idea of impropriety of conduct in 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 117 

him, deeply impressed my mind. The whole plan 
of the attack on the two following days was known 
to the meanest man in the army. How it was dis- 
closed, is uncertain, unless by the fatuity of the- cap- 
tains. One Singleton, a sergeant in the troops that 
accompanied Montgomery, deserted from the guard 
at the suburbs of St. John, and disclosed to our foes 
the purport of our schemes ; his desertion caused 
much anxiety. The General prudently gave out 
that it was by command, he would return soon with 
intelligence. This was believed generally. The 
latter information came to my knowledge some time 
afterwards, when a prisorier. The relation of Smith 
to me is perfect on my memory. Youths seldom for- 
get their juvenile impressions. It was this : '' That 
we, of Arnold's corps, accompanied by Capt. Lang's 
York Artillerists, should assail the lower town, on 
the side of St. Roque : General Montgomery was to 
attack the lower town by the way of Cape Diamond, 
which is on the margin of the St. Lawrence. A 
false attack was to be made easterly of St. John's 
gate. When Montgomery and Arnold conjoined in 
the lower town, then the priests, the women, and the 
children, were to be gathered and intermingled with 
the troops, and an assault be made on the upper 
town." Visionary as this mode of attack was, from 
what ensued, it is sincerely ray belief that SmitJi was 
correct in his information, as to the plan suggested 
by the General. In those turbulent times, men of 
gallantry, such as Montgomery, were imperiously ne- 
cessiated, to keep up their own fame and the spirits 
of the people, to propose and to hazard measures, e- 
ven to the confines of imprudence. There was an- 
other circumstance which induced our brave and 
worthy General to adopt active and dangerous means 
of conquest. Many of the New-England troops had 



118 CAMPAIGN 

been engaged on very short enlistments, some of 
which were to expire on the first of January, 1776. 
The patriotism of the summer of seventy-five, seem- 
ed almost extinguished in the winter of seventy-six. 
The patriotic officers made every exertion to induce 
enlistments, but to no purpose. We, of the " rifle 
corps," readily assented to remain with the General, 
though he should be deserted by the eastern men ; yet 
this example had no manner of influence on the 
generality. The majority were either farmers or sail- 
ors, and some had wives and children at home. — 
These, and other reasons, perhaps the austerity of 
the winter, and the harshness of the service, caused 
an obstinacy of mind which would not submit to pa- 
triotic representation. Besides, the small pox, intro- 
duced into our cantonments by the indecorous, yet 
fascinating arts of the enemy, had already begun its 
ravages. This temper of the men was well known 
to the General. Great numbers of the soldieis in- 
oculated themselves for this disease, by laceration un- 
der the finger nails by means of pins or needles, ei- 
ther to obtain an avoidance of duty, or to get over 
that horrible disorder in an easy and speedy way. 

It was not until the night of the 3lst of Decem- 
ber, 1775, that such kind of weather ensued as was 
considered favorable for the assault. The forepart of 
the night was admirably enlightened by a luminous 
moon. Many of us, officers as well as privates, had 
dispersed in various directions among the farm and 
tippling houses of the vicinity. We well knew the 
signal for rallying. This was no other than a snow 
6torm. About 12 o'clock P. M. the heavens were o- 
vercast. We repaired to quarters. By 2 o'clock we 
were accoutred and began our march. The storm 
was outrageous, and the cold wind extremely biting. 
Jn this northern country the snow is blown horizon- 




[Montgomery's attack on Quebec] 



AGAINST QUEBEC. i;2rl 

tally into the faces of travellers on most occasions— 
this was our case. 

January 1st. — When w6 came to Craig's house), 
near Palace gate, a horrible roar of cannon took 
place, and a ringing of all the bells of the city, which 
are very numerous, and of all sizes. Arnold, head- 
ing the forlorn hope, advanced perhaps one hundred 
yards before the main body. After these followed 
Lamb's artillerists. Morgan's company led in the 
secondary part of the column of infantry. Smith's 
followed, headed by Steele ; the captain, from partic- 
ular causes, being absent. Hendricks' company suc- 
ceeded, and the eastern ipen, so far as known to me, 
followed in due order. The snow was deeper than 
in the fields, because of the nature of the ground. 
The path made by Arnold, Lamb, and Morgan was 
almost imperceptible because of the falling snow. 
Covering the locks of our guns with the lappets of 
our coats, and holding down our heads, (for it was 
impossible to bear up our faces against the imperious 
storm of wind and snow,) we ran along the foot of 
the hill in single file. Along the first of our run from 
Palace gate, for several hundred yards, there stood a 
range of insulated buildings, which seemed to be store- 
houses — we passed these quickly in single file, pretty 
wide apart. Tjie interstices were from thirty to fifty 
yards. In these inteiTals we received a tremendous 
fire of musketry from the ramparts above us. Here 
Ave lost some brave men, when powerless to return 
the salutes we received, as the enemy was covered by 
his impregnable defences. They were even sightless 
to us — we could see nothing but the blaze from the 
muzzles of their muskets. 

A number of vessels of various sizes lay along 
the beach, moored by their hav/sers or cables to the 
houses. Pacing after my leader, Lieutenant Steele, 
11 



122 CAMPAIGN 

at a great rate, one of those ropes took me under the 
chin and cast me headlong down a declivity of at 
least fifteen feet. The place appeared to be either a 
dry dock or a saw pit. My descent was terrible ; 
gun and all was involved in a great depth of snow. 
One of my knees received a most violent contusion. 
On like occasions our intimates attend to no other 
than their own concerns. Mine went from me, re- 
regardless of my fate. Scrabbhng out of the cavity 
without assistance, divesting my person and gun of 
the snow, and limping into the line, it was attempt- 
ed to assume a station, and preserve it. These wer^ 
none of my friends — they knew me not. We had 
not gone twenty yards, in my hobbling gait, before I 
was thrown out and compelled to await the arrival 
of a chasm in the line, where a new place might be 
obtained. Men, in affairs such as this, seem in the 
main to lose the compassionate feeling, and are a- 
verse to being dislodged from their original stations. 
We proceeded rapidly, exposed to a long line of fire 
from the garrison, for now we were unprotected by 
any buildings. The fire had slackened in a small 
degree. The enemy had been partly called off to 
resist the General, and strengthen the party opposed 
to Arnold in our front. Now we saw Colonel Ar- 
nold returning, wounded in the leg, and supported 
by two gentlemen ; a parson Spring was one, and in 
my belief, a Mr. Ogden the other. Arnold called to 
the troops in a cheering voice as we passed, urging 
us forward ; yet it was observable among the sol- 
diery, with whom it was my misfortune to be now 
placed, that the Colonel's retiring damped their spir- 
its. A cant phrase, '' We are sold," was repeatedly 
heard in many parts throughout the line. Thus pro- 
ceeding, enfiladed by an animated but lessened fire, 
we came to the first barrier, where Arnold had been 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 123 

wounded in the onset. Thig contest had lasted but 
a few minutesj and was somewhat severe; but the 
energy of our men prevailed. The embrasures were 
entered when the enemy were discharging their guns. 
The guard, consisting of thirty persons, were either 
taken, or fled, leaving their arms behind them. At 
this time it was discovered that our guns were use- 
less, because of the dampness. The snow, which 
lodged in our fleecy coats, was melted by the warmth 
of our bodies. Thence came that disaster. Many 
of the party, knowing the circumstance, threw aside 
their own, and seized the British arms. These were 
not only elegant, but were such as befitted the hand 
of a real soldier. It was said that 10,000 stand of 
such arms had been received from England in the 
previous summer for arming the Canadian militia. 
Those people were loth to bear them in opposition 
to our rights. From the first barrier to the second, 
there was a circular course along the sides of houses, 
and partly through a street, probably of three hun- 
dred yards, or more. This second barrier was erect- 
ed across, and near the mouth of a narrow street, ad- 
jacent to the foot of the hill, which opened into a 
larger, leadii.g soon into the main body of the lower 
town. Here it was that the most serious contention 
took place ; this became the bone of strife. The ad- 
mirable Montgomery by this time, (though it was un- 
known to us,) was no more ; yet we expected mo- 
mentarily to join him. The firing on that side of 
the fortress ceased ; his division fell under the com- 
mand of a Colonel Campbell, of the New York fine, 
a nerveless chief, who retreated without making an 
effort, in pursuance of the General's original plans. 
The inevitable consequence was, that the whole of 
the forces on that side of the city, and those who 
were opposed to the various detachments employed to 



124 CAMPAIGN" 

make the false attacks, embodied and came down to 
oppose om* division. Here was sharp shooting;. We 
were on the disadvantageous side of the barrier for 
such a purpose. Confined in a narrow street, hardly 
more than twenty feet w^ide, and on the lower ground, 
scarcely a ball, well aimed or otherwise, but must 
take effect upon us. IMorgan, Hendricks, Steele, 
Humphreys, and a crowd of every class of the. ar- 
my, had gathered into the narrow pass, attempting 
to surmount the barrier, which was about twelve or 
more feet high, and so strongly constructed that noth- 
ing but artillery could effectuate its destruction. — 
There was a construction fifteen or twenty yards 
within the barrier, upon a rising ground, the cannon 
of which much overtopped the height of the barri- 
er ; hence we were assailed with grape shot in abun- 
dance. This erection was called the platform. A- 
gain, wdthin the barrier, and close in to it, were two 
ranges of musketeers, armed with musket and bay- 
onet, ready to receive those Avho might venture the 
dangerous leap. Add to all this that the enemy oc- 
cupied the upper chambers of the houses in the inte- 
rior of the barrier, on both sides of the street, from 
the windows of which we became fair marks. The 
enemy, having the advantage of the ground in front, 
a vast superiority of numbers, dry and better arms, 
gave them an irresistible power in so narrow a space. 
Humphreys, upon a mound which, w^as speedily e- 
rected, attended by many brav€ men, attempted to 
scale the barrier, but was compelled to retreat by the 
formidable phalanx of bayonets within, and the 
w^eight of fire from the platform and the buildings; 
Morgan, brave to temerity, stormed and raged. — 
Hendricks, Steele, Nichols, Humphreys, equally brave, 
were sedate, though under a tremendous fire. The 
platform, which w^as within our view, wa^ evacuated 



AOAINST QUEBEC. 125 

by the accuracy of our fire, and few persons dared 
venture there again. Now it was that the necessity 
of the occupancy of the houses on our side of the 
barrier, became apparent. Orders were given by Mor- 
gan to that effect — we entered. This was near day- 
light. The houses were a shelter from which we 
could fire with much accuracy. Yet even here some 
valuable lives were lost. Hendricks, when aiming 
his rifle at some prominent person, died by a strag- 
gling ball through his heart. He staggered a few 
feet backwards and fell upon a bed, where he in- 
stantly expired. He was an ornament to our little 
society. The amiable Humphreys died by a like 
kind of wound, but it was in the street before we en- 
tered the buildings. Many other brave men fell at 
this place ; among these were Lieutenant Cooper, of 
Connecticut, and perhaps fifty or sixty non-commis- 
sioned ofiicers and privates. The wounded were nu- 
merous, and many dangerously wounded. Captain 
Lamb, of the York artillerists, had nearly one half 
of his face carried away by a grape or canister shot. 
My friend Steele lost three of his fingers as he was 
presenting his gun to fire ; Capt. Hubbard and Lieu- 
tenant Fisdle were also among the wounded. When 
we reflect upon the whole of the dangers at this bar- 
ricade, and the formidable force that came to annoy 
us, it is a matter of surprise that so many should es- 
cape death and wounding, as did. All hope of suc- 
cess having vanished, a retreat was contemplated ; 
but hesitation, uncertainty, and a lassitude of mind 
which generally takes place in the affairs of men, 
when they fail in a project upon which they have at- 
tached much expectation, now followed. That mo- 
ment was foolishly lost when such a movement might 
have been made with tolerable success. Capt. Laws, 
ftt the head of 200 men, issuing from Palace gate, 



ne CAMPAIGN 

most fairly and handsomely cooped us up. Many of 
the men, aware of the consequences, and all our In- 
dians and Canadians, (except Natanis and another,) 
escaped across the ice wliich covered the bay of St. 
Charles, before the arrival of Captain Laws. Tiiis 
was a dangerous and desperate adventure, but worth 
the undertaking^, in avoidance of our subsequent suf- 
ferings. Its desperateness consisted in running two 
miles across shoal ice, thrown up by the high tides of 
this latitude- — and its danger in the meeting with air 
holes, deceptively covered by the bed of snow. 

Speaking circumspectly, yet it must l>e admitted 
Gonjecturally, it seems to me that in the whole of the 
attack, of conuuissioned otiicers we had six killed, 
five wounded: and of non-commissioned and pri- 
vates at least one hundred and fifty killed, and fifty 
or sixty womided. Of the enemy, many were kill- 
ed and many more wounded, comparatively, than on 
our side, taking into view the disadvantages we la- 
bored under ; and that but two occasions happened 
\\'hcn we could return their fire — that is, at the first 
and second barriers. Neither the American account 
of this- affair, as published by Congress, nor that of 
Sir Guy Carleton, admit the loss of either side to be 
so great as it really was. in my estimation. It seems 
to be a universal practice among belligerents of all 
nations to lessen the number of the slain of the side 
of the party which reports the event, and to increase 
it on tile part of the enemy. Having had prett}^ good 
opportunities of forming a just opinion on the subject, 
it is hoped that gentlemen who have thought or writ- 
ten differently, will not disdain to listen tx).n»y argu- 
ment. As to the British, on the platform, they were 
fair objects to us. They were soon driven thence by 
the acuteness of our shooting, which, in our appre- 
hensionj must have destroyed many. Perhaps^there 



AGAINST QVEBEC. i27< 

never was a body of men associated, who better un- 
derstood the use and manner of employing a rifle, 
than our corps, which by this time of the attack, had 
their guns in good order. When we took possession 
of the houses, we had a greater range. Our oppor- 
tunities to kill were enlarged. Within one hundred 
yards every man must die. The British, however, 
were at home — they could easily drag their dead out 
of sight, and bear their wounded to the hospital. It 
was the rever:^e with us. Captain Prentiss, who com- 
manded the provost guards, while we were prisoners 
would tell me of seven or eight killed, and fifteen or 
twenty wounded. Opposed to this, the sentries, (who* 
were mostly Irishmen, that guarded us, with much 
simplicity, if not with honesty,) frequently admitted 
of forty or fifty killed, and many more wounded.-— 
The latter assertions accorded with my opinion. The 
reasons for this belief are these : When the dead, on 
the following days, were transported on the carioles, 
passed our habitation for deposition in the •' dead 
house," we observed many bodies of which none of 
us had any knowledge : and again, when our woun- 
ded were returned to us from the hospital, they uni- 
formly spoke of being surrounded there in its many 
chambers by many of the wounded of the enemy. 
To the great honor of General Carlton, they were 
all, whether friends or enemies, treated witfi like at- 
tention and humanity. The reason why the woun- 
ded of our side bore so small a proportion to the dead, 
seems to be this : In the long course we ran from 
Palace gate to the first barrier, we lost many men 
who were killed outright, but many rriofe died who 
were merely wounded, y6t in such a manner as in a 
milder region to makes the case a curable one. A 
blow from a ball so large as that of a musket, stag- 
gers a man, whether the wound be in the arm, legj 



128 CAMPAIGN 

or elsewhere ; if in staggering, he falls, he comes 
down into a deep bed of snow, from which a hale 
man finds it very difficult to extricate himself. Five 
or ten minutes struggling in such a bed benumbs ihe 
strongest man, as frequent experience has taught me; 
if the party be wounded, though but slightly, twenty 
or thirty minutes will kill him — not because of the 
severity of the wound, but by the intensity of the 
frost. These are my opinions, grounded on a toler- 
ably distinct and accurate knowledge of particular 
cases, which occurred in the first part of the attack, 
and a variety of information obtained afterwards from 
individual sufferers, who Avere persons of credibility, 
rescued from death by the humane activity of Gen- 
eral Carleton. About 9 o'clock A. M. it was appa- 
rent to all of us that we must surrender ; and it was 
done. On this occasion my friend General F. Nich- 
ols, by his own native spirit, perseverance, and de- 
termined bravery, obtained an honorable distinction 
and acknowledgment from a brave and distinguish- 
ed enemy. It enhances his merit and the boon, 
when we reflect that that enemy was no other than 
General Carlton, an ornament such as would grace 
any nation, whether in the worst or best of times. 
Some privates came to Lieutenant Nichols and de- 
manded his sword ; the requisition was peremptorily 
denied, though there was great risk in the refiisal. 
He retained his sword till he met with Captain En- 
desly of the enemy, to whom it was surrendered ; but 
with the exaction of a promise that it should be re- 
turned when he, (the captive,) should be released. 
In the August following, before our embarkation for 
New- York, Captain Endesly waited on Lieutenant 
Nichols, aiid in the presence of all the American of- 
ficers, re-delivered the sword, under the assurance 
that it was by the permission and command of Gen- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 12? 

eral Carlton. This trait in the character of Carlton 
adds to the celebrity of his derivation and manner of 
thinking, and casts into a dark ground the characters 
of most of the principal British officers, particularly 
the Scotch, who had much intluence in those days, 
and bore towards us an intemperate hatred. 

The commissioned officers and some of the cadets 
were conducted to the seminary, a respectable build- 
ing. It became my lot in one way or other to be lost 
in the crowd, and to be associated with the non-com- 
missioned officers, in the company of some of whom 
ardent and perilous duties had been undergone.— 
These men are by no means to be lessened in char- 
acter by contrasting them with the levies made in, 
Europe, or those made since that time in our own 
country. Many of our sergeants, and even of our 
privates, were men of good education, and substan- 
tial freeholders in our own country. Upon a former 
occasion you were told the story of the respectable 
Dixon. Repossessed, (if sordid wealth makes th© 
man,) two-fold the riches of his captain ; and if it be 
permitted me to decide upon the characters of men, 
five-fold his understanding, activity and spirit. Ami- 
able Dixon! Many of these men, in the progress of 
the bloody scenes which ensued, became props of our 
glorious cause in defence of our sacred liberties. Alt 
could be named. Let a few suffice. Thomas Boyd, 
so often spoken of in the wilderness for his good hu- 
moi", hi^ activity, and the intensity of his sufferings, 
struggled gloriously for his Hfe as a captain, and died 
a dreadful death by the hands of the savages in 1779, 
in the expedition conducted by General Sullivan a- 
gainst the Six Nation Indians. 



130 CAMPAIGN 

[Another digression is here made in Mr. Henry's Narrative, both 
to relieve the tedium of a subject which treats of one unvaried 
round of hardship and suffering, and to contrast the recital of the 
same event as given by an eye witness, and as laid down by the 
general historian. The following account of Montgomery's at- 
tack on Quebec, is from " Botta's History of the War of the 
Revolution," a work reckoned by critics the most authentic of 
any yet published on that subject. 

The reader will find following the extract above alluded to, a por- 
tion of an Oration, illustrative of the Revolutionary warfare, de- 
livered on the occasion of the removal of the remains of Lieut. 
Thomas Boyd from the gravenear where he fell, to Mount Hope, 
in Rochester, August 20th, 1841, by Samuel Treat, of Geneseo. 
Lieut. Thomas Boyd and Thomas Boyd, mentioned by Mr. 
Henry, are identical. — Editor] 

[Jlccount of Montgomery's Jit tack on Quebec.'] 

" Montgomery, having determined to attempt the as- 
sault, convoked a council of war, and acquainted them 
with his project. Without denying that it was of diffi- 
cult execution, he maintained that it was possible, and 
that valor and prudence would triumph over all obsta- 
cles. All were in favor of his proposition. A few 
companies of Arnold, dissatisfied with their comman- 
der, alone testified repugnance. But Captain Morgan, 
a man of real merit, addressed them a persuasive dis- 
course, and their opposition ceased. The general had 
already arranged in his mind the plan of the attack, 
and thought of all the means proper to carry it into 
execution. He intended it should take place, at the 
* same time, against the upper and lower town. But 
understanding that a deserter had given notice of it to 
the governor, he resolved to divide his army into four 
corps, two of which, composed in great part of the Ca- 
nadians, under the command of Majors Livingston and 
Brown, were to occupy the attention of the enemy by 
two feigned attacks of the u})per town, towai'ds St. 
John and Cape Diamond. The two others, led, the 
first by Montgomery, the second by Arnold, were re- 
served to assault the lower part of the town from two 
opposite points. The general was perfectly aware, 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 131 

that after he should have carried this part of Quebec, 
there would remain many difficulties to be surmounted 
in order to conquer the other. But he hoped that the 
inhabitants, on seeing so great a proportion of their 
property fallen into the power of the victors, would 
force the governor to capitulate. 

The last day of the year, 1775, between four and 
five o'clock in the morning, in the midst of a heavy 
storm of snow, the four columns put themselves in mo- 
tion, in the best order, each towards the point assigned. 

It is said that Captain Frazer, of the Irish emigrants, 
in going his round, perceived the fuzees which the A- 
mericans fired to give the signal ; and that, immediate- 
ly, without waiting further orders, he caused the drums 
to beat, and roused the garrison to arms. The columns 
of Livingston and of Brown, impeded by the snow and 
other obstacles, were not in time to execute their feints. 
But Montgomery, at the head of his, composed chiefly 
of New- York men, advanced upon the bank of the riv- 
er, marching by the way denominated Anse de mer, un- 
der Cape Diamond. Here was encountered a first 
barrier, at a place called Potasse, which was defended 
by a battery of a few pieces of cannon ; further on, at 
the distance of two hundred paces from this, stood a 
redoubt, furnished with a sufficient guard. The sol- 
diers that composed it, being the greater part Canadi- 
ans, on seeing the enemy approach, were seized with 
terror, threw down their arms, and fled. The battery 
itself was abandoned ; and if the Americans could have 
advanced with sufficient expedition, they would cer- 
tainly have been masters of it. But in turning Cape Di- 
amond, the foot of which is bathed by the waters of the 
river, they found the road interrupted by enormous 
masses of snow. Montgomery, with his own hands, 
endeavored to open a path for his troops, who followed 
him, man by man ; he was compelled to wait for them. 
At length, having assembled about two hundred, whom 
he encouraged with voice and example, he moved cour- 



182 : CAMPAIGN 

agebusly and rapidly towards the barrier. But, in the 
mean time, a cannonier who had retreated from the 
battery, on seeing the enemy halt, returned to his post, 
and taking a match, which happened to be still burn- 
ing, fired a cannon charged with grape shot ; the A- 
mericans were within forty paces. This single explo- 
sion totally extinguished the hopes they had conceived. 
Montgomery, as well as Captains Macpherson and 
Cheeseman, both young men of singular merit, and 
dear to the general, were killed upon the spot. The 
soldiers shrunk back on seeing their general fall ; and 
Colonel Campbell, on whom the command devolved, 
was not a man capable of executing so perilous an en- 
terprize. The flight soon became universal ; so that 
this part of the garrison, no longer having enemies to 
combat, was at liberty to fly to the succor of that which 
was attacked by Arnold. 

This colonel, who was himself at the head of the 
forlorn hope, marched by the way of St. Roque, to- 
wards the place called Saut-au-Matelot. Capt. Lamb 
foUowed him with a company of artillery, and ono 
piece of cannon ; next came the main body, preceded 
by the riflemen under Captain Morgan. The besiged 
had erected, at the entrance of the avenue, a batteiy, 
which defended a barrier. The Americans found them- 
selves confined within a passage obstructed by deep 
snow, and so commanded by the works of the enemy, 
that his grape shot swept it in every direction. Mean- 
while, Arnold advanced rapidly under the fire of the 
beseiged, who manned the walls. He received a mus- 
ket ball in the leg, which wounded him severely, spHn- 
tering the bone. It was necessary to cany him to the 
hospital, almost by compulsion. Captain Morgan then 
took the command, and with all the impetuosity of his 
character, he launched himself against the battery, at 
die head of two companies. The ai-tillery of the ene- 
my continued to fire grape shot, but with little effect. 

The American riflemen, celebrated for their extreme 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 133 

address, killed many of the British soldiers through the 
embrasures. They applied ladders to the parapet ; the 
besieged were daunted, and abandoned the battery to 
the assailants. Morgan, with his companies, and a few 
soldiers of the centre, who were come up to the van- 
guard, made many prisoners, English as well as Cana- 
dians ; but his situation became extremely cntical. — 
The main body had not yet been able to join him ; he 
had no guide, and he was unacquainted with the city ; 
he had no artillery, and the day was still far from dawn- 
in o-. He found himself constrained to halt ; his sol- 
diers began to reflect upon their position ; their ardor 
cooled rapidly. The ignorance in which they were of 
the fate of their columns, "the obscurity of the night, 
the snow which fell with redoubled violence, the firing 
of musketry, which was heard on every side, and even 
behind them, finally, the uncertainty of the future, fill- 
ed the boldest spirits with an involuntary terror. Mor- 
gan alone resisted the panic ; he rallied his riflemen, 
promising them certain victory. He ran to the barri- 
er, to spur on those who had remained behind. Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Green, Majors Bigelowand Meigs, join- 
ed him with their companies. The morning began to 
dawn, when Morgan, with a terrible voice, summon- 
ed his troops to the assault ; he led on with fury a- 
gainst a second battery, which he knew to be only a 
few paces distant, though masked by an angle of the 
road ; on turning the corner, he encountered a detach- 
ment of English, who had sallied from the battery, un- 
der the command of Captain Anderson. The latter 
summoned the Americans to lay down arms. Morgan 
levelled a musket at his head, and laid him dead upon 
the ground. The English then retreated within the 
battery, and closed the barrier. A fierce combat ensu- 
ed, which cost many lives to the two parties, but most 
to the Americans, whose flanks were exjDosed to a de- 
structive fire of musketry from the windows of the 
houses. Meanwhile, some of the most adventurous, 

12 



134 CAMPAIGN 

having rested their ladders against the palisade, ap- 
peared disposed to leap it, but on seeing two files of 
soldiers prepared to receive them on the points of their 
bayonets, they renounced this project. Cut down by 
a continual fire, they now sought shelter in the houses. 
Morgan remained almost alone, near the barrier, en- 
deavoring in vain to recall his soldiers, and inspire them 
with fresh courage. Weai'iness, and the menacing 
countenance of the enemy, had disheartened the most 
audacious. Their arms, bathed by the snow, which 
continued to fall impetuously, were no longer of any 
use to them. Morgan then, seeing the expedition frus- 
trated, ordered the retreat to sound, to avoid being sur- 
rounded. But the soldiers who had taken refuge in 
the houses were afraid to expose themselves to the tem- 
pest of shot that must have been encountered, in gain- 
ing the corner of the avenue, where they would have 
been out of danger, and whence they might have re- 
tired behind the first barrier. The loss they had sus- 
tained, the fury of the storm, and the benumbing ef- 
fects of the cold, had deprived them of all courage. 
In the meantime, a detachment of the beseiged, sallied 
out from a gate of the palace, and Captain Dearborne, 
who, with his company of provincials, held himself in 
reserve near this gate, having surrendered, Morgan saw 
himself encircled by enemies. He proposed to his 
followers, to open, with arms, the way of retreat ; but 
they refused, in the hope that the assault given on the 
other part might have succeeded, and that Montgomery 
would soon come to their relief. They resolved to de- 
fend themselves, in the meantime ; but having at length 
perceived, by the continually increasing multitude of 
enemies, the true state of things, they yielded to des- 
tiny, and laid down arms. 

Such was the issue of the assault given by the Amer- 
icans to the city of Quebec, in the midst of the most 
rigorous season of the year; an enterprize, which, 
though at first view it may seem rash, was certainly 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 135 

not impossiWe. The events themselves have proved 
it ; for if General Montgomery had not been slain at 
the first onset, it is more than j)rol)able that on his part 
he W(uild have carried the barrier, since even at the 
moment of his death the battery was abandoned, and 
only served by a few men ; by penetrating at this point, 
while Arnold and Moroan obtained the same advanta- 
ges in their attacks, all the lower city would have fall- 
en into the power of the Americans. However this 
may be, though victory escaped them, their heroic ef- 
forts will be the object of sincere admiration. The 
governor, using his advantages nobly, treated the piis- 
oners with much humanity. He caused the American 
general to be inteiTed with all military honors." 



[^Extract from an Oration, by Samuel Treaty Esq."] 

" Congress at length determined to execute the project pre- 
viously formed, of carrying the war into the Indian coun- 
try. Gen. Sullivan was ordered to ascend the Susque- 
hanna to Tioga Point ; and Gen. Clinton, to pass through 
the Mohawk Valley, to meet the former officer at that 
place of rendezvous. After various delays caused by the 
character of the country through which the march was di- 
rected, the combined forces, amounting to nearly 5000 men, 
were ready, on the 22d of August, 1779, to commence 
the campaign. Sullivan's orders were, to destroy the In- 
dian villages, cut down their crops, and inflict upon them 
every other mischief which time and circumstances would 
permit, and not to return until the cruelties of Wyoming, 
Cherry, and the border-settlements had been fully avenged. 

Permit me, before detailing the events of this campaign, 
to glance at the previous history of a few of those gallant 
men whose mournful fate we have this day met to deplore. 

After the battle of Monmouth, in 1778, Morgan's rifle- 
men were sent to protect the settlements near Schoharie. 
Among those whose term of service had expired before 
the autumn of '79, was the bold Virginian, Timothy Mur^ 



136 CAMPAIGN 

phy. Instead of returning home, he enlisted in the nnili- 
tia, and continued to wage a desultory war against the sav- 
ages then hovering over the Mohawk settlements. By 
his fearless intrepidity, his swiftness of foot, his prompt- 
ness for every hazardous enterprize, he was, though a mere 
private, entrusted with the management of every scouting 
party sent out. He always carried a favorite double rifle, 
an object of the greatest terror to the Indians, who for a 
long time were awe-struck at its two successive disciiar- 
ges. In the hands of so skilful a marksman, the greatest' 
execution always followed its unerring aim. He had been 
several times surprised by small Indian parties ; but, with 
remarkable good fortune, had as often escaped. When 
the savages had learned the mystery of his double rifle, 
knowing that he must reload after the second discharge, 
they were careful not to expose themselves until he twice 
filed. Once, when separated from his troop, he was sud- 
denly surrounded by a large party of savages. Instantly 
he struck down the nearest foe, and fled at his utmost 
speed. Being hard pushed by one runner, whom alone 
he had not outstripped in the flight, he suddenly turned 
and shot him on the spot. Stopping to strip his fallen pur- 
suer, he saw another close upon him. He seized the rifle 
of the dead Indian, and again brought down his victim. 
The savages, supposing all danger now passed, rushed 
heedlessly on with yells of frantic rage. When nearly 
exhausted, he again turned, and, with the undischarged 
barrel, fired, and the third pursuerfell. With savage won- 
der, the other Indians were riveted to the spot ; and, ex- 
claiming that " he could fire all day without reloading," 
gave over the pursuit. From that hour. Murphy was re- 
garded by the savages as possessing a charmed life. When 
Clinton passed along the Mohawk, on his way to Tioga 
Point, he again jomed his rifle corps, to share the dangers 
of the march into the wilderness. 

A few of the Oneida warriors joined the expedition, 
and acted as guides. Cornelius and Honyerry had distin- 
guished themselves in the battle at Oiiskany ; and, from 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 187 

the destructive fire of their rifles, been marked by their 
foes as objects of especial hatred. 

Murphy was placed in the company commanded by 
Capt. Simpson and Lieut. Thomas Boyd. This was also 
the company in which the late Mr. Salmon, who subse- 
quently resided in Groveland, and was known to many 
wlio hear me, served during this expedition. 

Lieut. Thomas Boyd was born in Northumberland, Pa. 
in the county of the same name, in the year 1757, His 
father and only sister died before the commencement of 
the Revolutionary struggle. When that contest begun, 
the noble-hearted widow proved herself a more than Spar- 
tan mother. She, too, had learned the great lesson of lib- 
erty, and was prepared to jnake any and every sacrifice in 
her country's cause. In the langnage of our venerable 
President — yours, gallant Sir !* — '* When fire and sword 
h.ad ravaged our frontiers, when the repose of the defence- 
less settlements was disturbed by the savage war-whoop, 
and the bloody tomahawk and scalping knife were doing 
their work of death, then this noble matron gaveher three 
sons to God and her country, with the parting injunction 
never to dishonor their swords by any act of cowardice, 
or disgrace them by a moment's fear or reluctance, when 
called to the defence of home and freedom." Lieut. Wil- 
liam, her second son, had fulfilled the mother's noble re- 
quest, and laid down his life at Brandywine, a willing sac- 
rifice at his country's call. The mouldering bones of the 
youngest, Lieutenant Thomas Boyd, now lie beneath that 
sable pall. 

All the necessary preparations being completed, Sulli- 
van's army left Tioga en the morning of the 26th of Au- 
gust. The Indians, when first informed of the contem- 
plated expedition, laughed at what they supposed the fol- 
ly of a regular army attempting to traverse the wilder- 
ness, to drive them from their fastnesses. When, howev- 
er, they had learned that the campaign was determined up- 
on, they resolved to make an early stand in defence of 

* Major Van Campen. 

12* 



13S CAMPAIGN 

their crops and their wigwams. Accordingly, a large 
force, variously estimated from 1,000 to 1,500 Indians and 
rangers, collected near Newtown, to risk a general en- 
gagement. History has fully recorded the particulars of 
this hard-fought action. The combined forces of British 
and savages at last fled precipitately across the river, leav- 
ing behind a large number of packs, tomahawks, and scalp- 
ing knives. The disasters of this terrible battle spread 
the utmost consternation through the Indian villages. — 
Many a brave warrior had fallen, and the death-song was 
heard in every town. Their warriors seemed struck with 
a panic that nothing could avert. The^^ left their defiles 
and the dangerous marshes open to the advances of their 
enemies, and fled at their approach. Sullivan hastened 
forward without interruption, destroying every thing in his 
route. At Honeoye he left a small force to guard the sick 
and provisions, and advanced, with the utmost caution, to 
the head of Lake Conesus. 

The principal villages of the Seneca tribe were situated 
along Genesee Valley. A few miles from this spot, at 
the fording place of the Canasaraga, was a small town 
and council-house, called Williamsburg. Little-Beard's 
Town, so named from the chief, was just beneath this hill, 
and stretched for nearly a mile from the bridge over the 
creek almost to the cluster of houses on the main road a- 
cross the valley. In the centre of the little village, just at 
the base of this hill, stood the council-house of this fierce 
warrior and his ferocious clan. Along these hillocks, and 
for a short distance upon the valley, were their largest 
corn fields and vegetable gardens. From these, their fa- 
vorite haunts, their warriors had oft, of yore, wandered to 
the far South, and brought back the scalps of the Cataw- 
bas, and ravaged the towns of their foes in the distant 
swamps of Mississippi and Alabama. The ruin they had 
oft carried into the wigwams of the red men and the huts 
of the white settlers, was now, for the first time, to fall 
upon their own loved homes. They resolved, however, 
once more to strike in defence of their firesides, and if 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 139 

possible avert the impending blow. In pursuance of the 
resolution of their council, they lay in ambush at the 
head of Lake Conesus, near an Indian town on what is 
at present called Henderson's Flats. At the approach of 
the army, they rose suddenly upon the advance-guard, 
which, after a brisk skirmish, fell back upon the main 
body. Fearing a repetition of the destructive havoc which 
they had already suffered at Newtown, they waited not 
the"^attack of the whole army ; but, having seized two 
friendly Oneidas, fled with their prisoners into the adja- 
cent forest. One of these captives had been Sullivan's 
principal guide, and had rendered many important services 
to the Americans. He was, therefore, regarded by his 
captors as a prisoner of no little consequence. There is 
an incident connected with his fate, worthy of note, as 
presenting a striking contrast to the inhumanity of the to- 
ry brothers at Oriskany and Wyoming. *' This faithful 
Indian had an elder brother engaged with the enemy, 
who, at the beginning of the war, had exerted all his pow- 
er to persuade the younger into the British service also, 
but without success. At the close of this skirmish, the 
brothers met for the first time since their separation, when 
they had respectively chosen to travel different war-paths 
— the younger a prisoner to the elder. The latter had no 
sooner recognized his brother after the 7Jielee, than his eyes 
kindled with that fierce and peculiar lustre which lights up 
the eyes of a savage when meditating revenge. Ap- 
proaching him haughtily, he spoke thus : 

''Brother! you have merited death. The hatchet or 
the war-club shall finish your career. When I begged of 
you to follow me in the fortunes of war, you were deaf to 
my entreaties. 

" Brother ! you have merited death, and shall have 
your deserts. When the rebels raised their hatchets to 
fight their good master, you sharpened your knife, you 
brightened your rifle, and led on our foes to the fields of 
our fathers. 

" Brother ! you have merited death, and shall die by 



140 CAMPAIGN 

our hands. When those rebels had driven us from the 
fields of our fathers, to seek out new houses, it was you 
who could dare to step forth as their pilot, and conduct 
them even to the doors of our wigwams, to butcher our 
children and put us to death. No crime cim be greater. 
But though you have merited death, and shall die on tliis 
spot, my hands shall not be stained with the blood of a 
brother. Who will strike ?'' 

A pause of a moment ensued. The bright hatchet of 
Little Beard flashed in the air like lightning, and the 
young Oneida chief was dead at his feet. Thus did the 
red warrior of the wilderness prove himself nobler^' than 
his civilized associates. 

After the skirmish just alluded to, Sullivan encamped 
for the night at the Indian village, and was detained the 
next day to build a bridge over the inlet and marsh, for 
his artillery. Early on the evening of the encam.pment, 
Lieut. Boyd requested leave to advance with a small de- 
tachment, and reconnoitre the next town. The Indian 
guide, Honyerry, endeavored in vain to dissuade him from 
the attempt. The army was near the red men's strong- 
hold, and their warriors lurked behind every covert. But 
the gallant Boj^d, fearless of danger when he could be of 
service to his country, persisted in his request, until the 
consent of his commander was obtained. He set out up- 
on his perilous enterprise, about sunset, with a small band 
• — the brave Honyerry acting as his guide. Murphy, ev- 
er ready on a scout, joined the troop to share the dangers 
of the attempt, and to enjoy the excitement of fighting 
the savages in their own way. Near the summit of the 
hill, about one mile and a half from the camp, the path di- 
vided — one branch being in the direction of Williamsburg, 
the other of Little Beard's Town. Boyd advanced cau- 
tiously, and took the former path to the Cansaraga. A- 
ware of the dangers with which he was surrounded, he 
proceeded slowly, prepared for instant action. So great 
were the difficulties he encountered, that the night was 
far spent before he reached the first village. Here, all 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 141 

was silent and deserted. The Indians had fled but a short 
time before, as their fires were still burning. His little 
troop was too much exhausted, and the night too far ad- 
vanced, for his immediate return. He determined to en- 
camp near the village, and at early dawn to despatch two 
messengers to the camp with the information that the ene- 
my Ijad not yet been discovered ; and then continue his 
search until he learned the position of the enemy. Sure- 
ly, a more hazardous enterprize was never undertaken: a- 
bout thirty men, seven miles from their camp, a dense for- 
est between them and the army, before them a trackless 
morass, the Indians lurking perhaps behind every tree, 
ready to fall upon their prey. But Boyd had offered his 
services for this perilous taSk, and he would not shrink 
from its performance. Whilst his comrades are yet buried 
in sleep, taking with him the dauntless Murphy, he creeps 
cautiously from the place of concealment, until he gains a 
view of the village. About its outskirts they perceive 
two savages stealing along the woods ; and in a moment 
their unerring rifles have laid their foes prostrate in death, 
and Murphy shakes in triumph the reeking scalp of his 
victim. Fearing that this occurrence would alarm the In- 
dians hovering near, Boyd now thought it prudent to re- 
tire. 

During that night the red warriors had not been idle. 
Little Beard had summoned his braves for the work of 
vengeance, and the messengers of Boyd never reached 
the camp. Brant, with five hundred warriors, and But- 
ler, with an equal number of rangers, at early dawn set 
forth from Beard's Town, to intercept Boyd and his party. 
They selected the spot where the two paths united, near 
the summit of the hill, for their ambuscade. Concealed 
in a deep ravine near the adjacent path, they were hid by 
the dense forest from the view of the army, and by the 
brush-wood from the path. Whether Boyd returned a- 
long the trail from Williamsburg or Beard's Town, they 
knew he must pass the spot where they lay concealed. — 
They had wisely conjectured that, if he were attacked far- 



142 CAMPAIGN 

ther from the army, he would be prepared for a bloody re- 
sistance ; and that the first fire would hasten a large de- 
tachment to his relief. Whatever was done must be ac- 
complished in a moment ; and their success would be cer- 
tain, if, as they supposed, he should relax his vigilance 
when so near the camp. 

As soon as Boyd had decided to return, he arranged his 
little troop to avoid being thrown into confusion on a sud- 
den attack. With Honyerry in front and Murphy in the 
rear, their eagle-eyes fixed upon each moving leaf and wav- 
ing bough, they marched forward slowly and with the utmost 
caution. Five weary miles had they thus traversed the 
dangerous route, and were beginning to descend the hill at 
whose base the army lay encamped. With rapid march 
they hurry on, regarding all danger as now past. But just 
as they emerge from the thick wood into the main path, more 
than five hundred warriors, with brandished tomahawks, 
rise up before them. With horrid yells they close in upon 
their victims on every side. Boyd is not wanting in this 
fearful crisis. Quick as thought he perceives that against 
the fearful odds — the foe twenty times his own number — 
one chance of escape, and but one, remains — and that, the 
always doubtful step of striking at a given point, and cut- 
ting the way through the surrounding foe. At the word, 
his gallant band fire and rush to the onset. The charge 
tells fearfully upon the dusky warriors, and a ray of hope 
gleams upon their clouded iortunes. With unbroken ranks 
Hot one of his own comrades yet fallen, he renews the at- 
tack, and still the third time. With only eight now left, 
he braves the fierce encounter once again. The fearless 
Murphy indeed bears a charmed life. He turiibles in the 
dust the huge warrior in his path ; and, while the rude 
savages are shouting with laughter, he and two fortunate 
companions escape. True to his own dauntless nature, he 
turns to the foe, and, with clenched fist, hurls at them a 
bold defiance. Poor Honyerry, noted for the wonders that 
he had wrought at Oriskany, and for his unwavering at- 
tachment to the American cause, falls, literally hacked to 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 143 

pieces. But the unhappy Boyd — he, the gallant and no- 
ble-hearted ! who never had known fear or shrunk from 
the most imminent peril — he and the equally wretched 
Parker, are prisoners in the hands of the merciless enemy. 
At this friiihtful moment, what are the emotions of these 
hapless captives ] Does not the stout heart of Boyd now 
beat slowly? Is not his cheek yet blanched with fear ? 
No ! Not such his spirit. His courage fails him not, e- 
ven now. "Red men," he exclaims, "where is your 
chief? Bring me before the brave warrior. Aye, bran- 
dish your hatchets, ye coward squaws, against the help- 
less : ye dare not strike. Your chief, I say." At this 
request the upraised tomahawk is turned aside,' and the In- 
dian chief. Brant, stands before him. At the mystic sig- 
nal, known only to those initiated into the secrets of the 
craft, the stern brow of the warrior is relaxed, and Boyd 
and Parker are safe. 

The approach of Hand's brigade causes the immediate 
flight of the Indian foe ; and, in mad haste, they hurry a- 
way with their prisoners, leaving behind their blankets 
and the rifles of their victims. But this friendly succor 
comes too late. The fearful strife is over, and the red 
men are done. Brant leaves the unfortunate Boyd and 
Parker in the charge of Butler, and withdraws to provide 
for the coming danger. With painful march, the captives 
pursue their cheerless route, amid the fierce exultation of 
the savage tribe, to the Indian village at our feet. 

Walter Butler, than whom not a more ruthless fiend ev- 
er cursed the human form, summons before him the two 
prisoners, to learn, if possible, the number, situation, and 
intentions of Sullivan's army. His questions remain un- 
answered. Boyd will not, even by a word, betray his 
country's cause. Peihapa, relying on the plighted faith 
and generous nature of the Indian chief, he has no fears for 
the result. Around him gather the painted forms of the 
grim savages ; and, with tomahawks cutting the air, and 
reeking knives thrust towards his unprotected breast, a- 
mid the most hideous yells and frantic gestures, demand 



144 CAMPAIGN 

the life-blood of their prey. Still the dauntless Boyd 
trembles not. He disregards the threats of his base inter- 
rogator, and refuses to reply. Denunciations avail not : 
danjrer does not intimidate. He has been nurtured in a 
nobler school than to basely yield when he should be most 
firm. His country calls — his mother's parting charge is 
still fresh in his memory. He cannot falter. She had en- 
graven on his heart of hearts, deeper, far deeper, than all 
other sentiments, love of country ; and love of life cannot 
usurp supremacy in this direful hour. But surely it can- 
not be, that a man educated in all the refinements of civil- 
ized life — early nurtured in the merciful tenets of the 
Christian faith, against whom the noble prisoners have 
been guilty of no more heinous offence thsn fighting for 
liberty, will — nay, he can not execute his bloody threat. 
Do you doubt, ye hapless pair, that such a monster lives } 
Ah ! remember the bloody deeds of Cherry-Valley, and 
know that such a monster now threatens " to give you o- 
ver to the tender mercies of the savages" clamoring for 
your blood. Again the question is asked, and again Boyd 
shrinks not. The fate of the army and the success of the 
expedition hang upon his firmness. He prefers to die, if 
it were possible, a thousand deaths, rather than betray the 
lives of his country's soldiers and her holy cause. He 
well knows that their secret must remain unrevealed by 
bis lips — that on his decision now rests the safet}^ of the 
whole army ; and he nobly chooses, by his own fall, to 
preserve the dangerous secret locked in his own speechless 
and mangled breast. The bloody command is at length 
given. Little-Beard and his clan have seized their help- 
less victims. Stripped and bound to that sapling, Boyd 
hears the death-knell ringing in the air, and sees the de- 
moniac ravings of his ruthless tormentors, as madly they 
dance around him. The chief takes the deadly aim : his 
glittering hatchet speeds through the air. But no : this 
were too kind a fate. It quivers in frightful proximity, 
just above his uncovered head. Another and yet another 
follows— still they glance within but a hair's breadth of 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 14» 

bis throbbing temples. Their fury becomes too great for so 
bloodless sport. Now they tear out his nails — his eyes — 
his tongue — and — But the horrors of that awful hour 
are too agonizing for description. The ear is pained at 
the direful tale. The mind revolts at the cruel reality. 
Poor Parker, thine is a milder death. With one blow, 
your frightful suspense, as you lay a witness of your hero- 
ic leader's anguish, and expect a similar fate, is ended. — 
Noble men ! could we but conjure up the agonies of your 
last hour — could mortal tongue disclose the secret emo- 
tions of your souls, the fierce pain of your mangled limbs — 
every heart in this assembly would cease to pulsate, every 
cheek grow pale with horror.^ Gallant Boyd — thy widow- 
ed mother's sacred injunction has been — oh ! how sacred- 
ly — obeyed. Here, in the depths of the wilderness, you 
ceased not to cheiish the spirit of her own noble soul ; and 
at the immense price of the most lingering death, to show 
that your love of liberty was stronger than all ties of life 
and kindred. Far away in your native village, perhaps at 
that very hour, your mother's fervent prayer for her young- 
est and her darling son, was winging its course to the mer- 
cy seat. Little did she imagine with what pious devotion 
you were fulfilling your high duties to God and your coun- 
try. Oh ! what will be the fearful agony of her widow- 
ed soul, when she learns your cruel fate! Already has 
she mourned your elder brother's fall ; and now, in the 
bloom of early manhood, twenty-two summers scarcely 
passed over your devoted head, and your mangled corpse 
lies unburied in the remote wilderness. 

Talk not of Spartan daring nor Roman firmness, to il- 
lustrate his matchless heroism. In the excitement of bat- 
tle, under the eyes of those who will honor his bravery, 
the soldier may dare the chances of even the cannon's 
mouth, to win undying fame. But to die in the remote 
wilderness, by the most excruciating torture — to die, too, 
with the power of safety in your own hands, rather than 
fail in your duty, even by a w^ord — to die where no pity- 
ing eye can behold your fate, and the last solemn rites of 

13 



146 CAMPAIGN 

sepulture cannot be performed by Christian hands, with 
no one to bear your dyina words to your bereaved moth- 
er — to know and feel at that dread hour, that her scalding 
tears will flow in torrents, when, as the dreary months 
drag heavily by, she lingers to hear from some passing 
stranger, if perchance her youngest, her biave-hearted 
boy, yet lives — to die thus, for one's country — where, in 
the annals of the world, can 3'^ou find a parallel ? 

\_Mr. Hetiry's J\''an-ative resumed. ^ 

Charles Porterfield, who lost his life in the battle 
of Camden, when in the station of a colonel. Jo- 
seph Aston, of Lamb's, who served his country 
throughout the war, and was piomoted to a majori- 
ty. Doctor Thomas Gibson, of Hendricks', who di- 
ed in the performance of his duty at Valley Forge, 
in the winterof 1778. Robert Cunninghanj, a weal- 
thy freeholder, of Smith's, who here imbibed the seeds 
of that disorder which at loo early an age, hurried 
him to the grave. In short, many others might be 
mentioned in the general, as worthy and well Inform- 
ed as their superiors, wiiliout in anywiseimputing to 
the latter, in so saying, the slightest degree of disjjar- 
agement. This will always be the case when the 
S^reat body of a nation rises in its strength to defend 
Its rights. Those who understand the point in cjues- 
tion in a national dispute, and are most strongly im- 
pressed with its importance, will be the first to arm. 
This has been, and ever will be, the dispositions of 
men in all ages past or to coine, whenever their priv- 
ileges are invaded. Offices of priirie importance can- 
not be obtained by all. Men of talents, of genius, 
and courage, must step into subordinate stations. 
Socrates, Alcibiades, and Demosthenes, fought in the 
ranks. 

God in his great goodness grant, in the future vi- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 147 

ci^sitiides of the world, that onr countr3'men, when- 
ever their essential rights shall be attacked, will di- 
vest themselves of all party prejudice, and devote their 
lives and properties in defence of the sacred liberties 
of their country, without any view to emolument, 
but that which springs from glorious and honorable 
actions. Pardon me for frequent digression, upon this 
subject particularly, as my whole soul was bound up 
in our cause, you must forgive me. The leal apolo- 
gy is, we were all of us enthusiastic whigs. 

When under guard, in the morning of the first of 
January, Colonel M'Dougal, a Scotch gentleman, 
near noon came to review us : his person was known 
to me at Detroit, as an intimate of an uncle, three 
years before this time. The colonel was naturally 
pohte and kind-hearted. When it came iTiy turn 
to be examined, as to name, place of birth, (fee. be- 
sides making the proper answers to his inquiries, I 
was emboldened to declare that he was known to me. 
He seemed surprised, but not displeased : a lequest 
was immediately added, that he would order me to 
be transferred to the quarters of the officeis. "No, 
my dear boy," said he, " you had better remain 
where you are ; the officers, as you are in rebellion, 
may be sent to England and there tried for treason." 
The advice of this venerable veteran, made an im- 
pression on my mind, which was then agitated by a 
thousand vagrant thoughts, and involved in doubt 
and uncertainty as to our destination. We then well 
knew of the voyage of Colonel Ethan Allen to Eng- 
land, and the manner of it; and that of George 
Merchant, our fellow soldier — but the consequences 
were unknown. It became my determination to take 
the fatherly advice of Colonel M'Dougal, for it was 
really delivered in the parental style, and to adhere 
to it. He brought one of his sons, whom I had for- 



148 CAMPAIGN 

merly known, to see me on the following day. A- 
bout mkl-day we were escorted to a ruinous monas- 
tery of the order of St. Francis, called the Rcguliers. 
It was an immense quadrangular building, contain- 
ing within its interior bounds half an acre or int)re, 
of an area, w-hich seemed to be like a garden or 
shrubbery. The monks, priests or w^hatnot, who in- 
habited the house, must have been few in number, , 
as, for my part, not more than half a dozen of dis- 
tinct faces came mto my view while we staid here. 
We entered by the ground floor, (that is, by the cel- 
lar,) the building on that side being built on the de- 
clination of the hill, which in this part of the city is 
very uneven. The apartments on our right, as we 
entered, seemed to be tilled with govern tnent stores, 
and with provisions of all kinds. They made us as- 
cend a large staircase into an upper story, where we 
were complimented with two sides, or rather a part 
of each of the sides of the quadrangle. The whole 
building would have accommodated four thousand 
men. Monkish spirit must have been in high vogue 
when so great a pile could be erected merely from the 
alms of the people, and that too, for so egregiously 
absurd a purpose. The ranges of the rooms, though 
extensive in the length of the galleries, were small 
in their size, being scarcely more than ten by twelve 
or fourteen feet. The galleries were about twelve 
feet wide; many rooms were comfortable, others were 
dilapidated. Ten or a dozen of our poor fellows 
were compressed into one of these small rooms. So 
much the better, as it served to keep them the warm- 
er. Boyd, Cunningham, and a few of our intinjates, 
took possession of a room near a large stove. The 
first week we slept most uncomfortably. Gracious 
God ! what did we not sutfer. 

It was now that we fully learnt the destinies of 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 149 

our dear and revered general, and his companions in 
dcalh. But allow me before the detail of that sad 
story, to give you an anecdote. The merchants of 
Quebec, like those of England and our own coun- 
try, are a spirited and generous sect in society: they 
applied to Governor Carlton, and obtained leave, to 
make us a ''New-Year's gift." This turned out to 
be no other than a large butt of porter, attended by 
a proportionate quaniity of bread and cheese. It was 
a prer^ent which exhileiaterl our hearts, and drew from 
us much thankfulness. We shared more than a pint 
per man. 

General Montgomery Had marched at the precise 
time stipulated, and had arrived at his destined place 
of attack, nearly at the time we attacked the first 
barrier. He was not one that would loiter. Colonel 
Campbell, of the New-York troops, a large, good- 
looking man, who was second in command of that 
party, and was deemed a veteran, accompanied the 
army to the assault ; his station was rearward ; Gen- 
eral Montgomery, with his aids, were at the point of 
the column. 

It is impossible to give you a fair and complete i- 
dea of the nature and situation of the place, solely 
with the pen — (he pencil is required. As, (by the 
special permission of government, obtained by the 
good offices of Captain Prentiss in ihe summer fol- 
lowing.) Boyd, a few others, and myself, reviewed 
the causes of our disaster, it is therefore in my pow- 
er, so far as my abilities will permit, to give you a tol- 
erable notion of the spot. Cape Diamond nearly I'e- 
sembles the great jutting rock which is in the nar- 
rows at Hunter's falls, on the Susquehanna. The 
rock, at the latter place, shoots out as steep as that 
at Quebec, but by no means forms so great an an- 
gle on the margin of the river ; but is more craggy, 
13* 



ISO CAMPAIGN 

There is a stronger and more obvious difference in 
the comparison. When you surmount tlie hill at 
St. Charles, or the St. Lawrence side, (which to the 
eye are equally high and steep,) you find yourself on 
Abraham's Plains, and upon an extensive champaign 
country. The bird's-eye view around Quebec bears 
a striking conformity to the sites of Northumberland 
and Pittsburg, in Pennsylvania ; but the furmer is 
on a more gigantic scale, and each of the latter want 
the steepness and cragginess of the back ground, and 
a depth of rivers. This detail is to instruct you in 
the geographical situation of duebec, and for the sole 
purpose of explaining the manner of General Mont- 
gomery's death, and the reasons of our failure. — 
From Wolfe's cove there is a good beach down to, 
and around Cape Diamond. The bulwarks of the 
city came to the edge of the hill, above that place. 
Thence down the side of the precipice, slantingly to 
the brink of the river, there was a stockade of strong 
posts, fifteen or twenty feet high, knit together by a 
stout railing, at bottom and (op with pins. This was 
no mean defence, and was at the distance of one 
hundred yards from the point of the rock. Within 
this palisade, and at a few yards from the very point 
itself, there was a like palisade, though it did not run 
so high up the hill. Again, within Cape Diamond, 
and probably at a distance of fifty yards, there stood 
a block house, which seemed to take up the space 
between the foot of the hill and the precipitous bank 
of the river, leaving a cart-way, or passage on each 
side of it. When heights and distances are spoken 
of, you must recollect that the description of Cape 
Diamond and its vicinity, is merely that of the eye, 
made, as it were, running, under the inspection of 
an officer. The review of the ground our army had 
acted upon, was accorded to ub as a particular favor. 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 151 

l^ven to have stepped the paces in a formal manner, 
would have been dislionorable, if not a species of 
treason. A block house, if well constructed, is an 
admirable method of defence ; which in the process 
of the war, to our cost, was fully experienced. In 
the instance now before us, though the house was 
not built upon the most approved principles, yet it 
was a formidable object. It was a square of perhaps 
forty or fifty feet. Vhe large logs, neatly squared, 
were tightly bound together by dove-tail work. If 
not much mistaken, the lower story contained loop 
holes for musketry, so narrow that those within could 
not be harmed from without. The upper story had 
four or more port holes for cannon of a large calibre. 
These guns were charged with grape or cannister 
shot, and were pointed with exactness towards the 
avenue at Cape Diamond. The hero Montgomery 
came. The drowsy or drunken guard did not hear 
the sawing of the posts of the first palisade. Here, 
if not very erroneous, four posts were sawed and 
thrown aside, so as to admit four men abreast. The 
coluinn entered with a manly fortitude. Monts^om- 
ery, accompanied by his aids M'Pherson and ('heese- 
man, advanced in front. Arriving at the second pal- 
isade, the general, with his own hands, sawed down 
two of the pickets in such a manner as to admit two 
men abreast. These sawed pickets were close un- 
der the hill, and but a few yards from the very point 
of the rock, out of the view and fire of the enemy 
from the block house. Until our troops advanced to 
the point, no harm could ensue, but by stones thrown 
from above. Even now there had been but an im- 
perfect discovery of the advancing of an enemy, and 
that only by the intoxicated guard. The guard fled ; 
the general advanced a few paces. A drunken sail- 
or returned to his gun, swearing he would not for- 



152 CAMPAIGN 

sake it while undischarged. This fact is related from 
the lestiinony of the guard on the morning of our 
capture, some of those sailors being our guard. Ap- 
plying the match, this single discharge deprived us 
of our excellent commander. 

Exanjing the spot, the officer who escorted us, (pro- 
fessing to be one of those who first came to the place 
after tlie death of the general,) showed the position 
in which the general's body was found. It lay two 
paces fiom the brink of the river, on the back, the 
arms extended. Cheeseman lay on the left, and M'- 
Pherson on the right, in a triangular position. Two 
other brave men lay near them. The ground a- 
bove described was visited by an inquisitive eye, so 
that you may rely with some implicitness on the 
truth of the picture. As all danger from without had 
vanished, the government had not only permitted the 
mutilated palisades to remain without renewing the 
enclosure, but the very sticks sawed by the hand of 
our conuTiander still lay strewed about the spot. 

Colonel Campbell, appalled by the death of the 
general, retreated a little way from Cape Diamond, 
out of the reach of the cannon of the block house, 
and pretendedly called a council of officers, who, it 
was said, justified his receding from the attack. If 
rushing on. as military duty required, and a brave 
man would have dune, the block house might have 
been occupied by a small number, and was unassail- 
able from without, but by cannon. From the block 
house to the centre oi the lower town, where we 
were, there was no obstacle to imj.ede a force so pow- 
eiful as that under Colonel Campbell. 

Cowardice, or a want of good will towards our 
cause, left us to pur miserable fate. A junction, al- 
though we might not conquer the fortress, would en- 
able us to make an honorable retreat, though with 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 153 

the loss of many valuable lives. Campbell, who was 
ever after considered as a poltroon in grain, retreat- 
ed, leaving the bodies of the general, M'Pherson, and 
Cheeseman, to be devoured by the dogs. The dis- 
gust caused among us, as (o Campbell, was so great 
as to create the unchristian wnsh that he might be 
hanged. In that desultory period though he w^as tri- 
ed, he was acquitted ; that was also the case of Col- 
onel Enos, who deserted us on the Kennebec. 

On the 3d or 4th of January, being, as it were, 
domesticated in the sergeant's mess in the Reguliers^ 
a file of men headed by an officer, called to conduct 
me to the seminary. Adhering to the advice of Col. 
M'Dougal, the invitation was declined, though the 
hero Morgan had solicited this grace from Governor 
Carlton, and had sent me a kind and pressing mes- 
sage. My reasons, which were explained to Mor- 
gan, in addition to the one already given, opeiated 
forcibly on my mind. Having lost all my clothes in 
the wilderness, except those on my back, and those 
acquired by the provident and gratuitous spirit of 
General Montgomery, notliing remained fitting me 
to appear in company anywhere. Additionally, it 
had become a resolution, when leaving Lancaster, 
(as my absence would go near to break the hearts of 
my parents,) never to break upon my worthy father's 
purse. Dire necessity compelled me to rescind this 
resolution, in part, in the wilderness; but that cir- 
cumstance made me the more determined to adhere 
to the resolve afterwards : again, my intimate friends 
were not in the seminary. Steele was in the hospi- 
tal, and Simpson, (by previous command,) on the 
charming Isle of Orleans ; which, from its fruitful- 
ness, had become, as it were, our store-house. Add 
to all these reasons: it could not be said ol tlie gen- 
tlemen in the seminary " they are my intimates," 



154 CAMPAIGN 

excepf as to Captain Morgan, and Lieut. P. Nichols 
of ! Ienflricks\ P ides, my leather sniall-cloilies, all 
in fritters, had been cuA away, and a savage cover- 
ing adopted until more auspicious times came. But 
even now an idea of escape and vengeance inflamed 
the breasts of many, and we were fiere in a much 
superior situation for such a purpose, than that of the 
seminary. More of tins hereafter. All these facts 
and circumstances induced an evasion of tlieiriendly 
solicitation of the kind-hearted Morgan. 

On (he third day of our captuie the generous Carl- 
ton despatched a flag to Arnold, to obtain what tri- 
fling baggage we had left at our quarters ; mine was 
either forgotten, or miserable as it was, had been plun- 
dered ; but as good luck would have it, the knap- 
sack of one Alexander Nelson of our company, who 
was killed when running to the first bariier, was dis- 
claimed by all of our men. Your father in conse- 
quence laid violent hands upon the spoil. It furnish- 
ed Boyd and myself with a large, but coarse blue 
blanket, called a " slroud," and a drununer's regi- 
mental coat. The blanket became a real comfort, 
the coat an article of Itarter. It Avas on this day 
that my heart was ready to burst with grief at view- 
ing the funeial of our beloved general. Carlton had 
in our former wars with the French, been the friend 
and fellow-soldier of Montgomery. Though politi- 
cal opinion, perhaps ambition or inteiest, had thrown 
these worthies on different sides of the great ques- 
tion, yet the former could not but honor the remains 
of his quondam friend. About noon the procession 
passed our quarters. It was most solemn. The cof- 
fin, covered with a pall, surmounted by transverse 
swords, was borne by men. The regular troops, 
with reversed arms, and scarfs on the left elbow, ac- 
companied the corpse to the grave. The funerals of 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 155 

the other officers, both friends and enemies, were per- 
formed this day. Fiom many a" "is it diew tears of 
affection for the defunct, an .speaking for myself, 
tears of greeting and thankfuhiess towards General 
Carlton. The sokhery and inhabitants appeared af- 
fected by the loss of this valuable man, though he 
was their enemy. If sucfi men as Washington, Carl- 
ton, and Montgomery, had had the entire direction 
of the adverse war, the contention, in the event, might 
have happil}^ terminated to the advantage of both 
sections of the nation. M'Pherson, (Jheeseman, 
Hendricks, and Humphreys, were all digniiied by the 
same manner of burial. ' 

On the same, or the following day, we were com- 
pelled, (if we would look,) to behold a more disgust- 
ing and torturing sight. Many carioles repeatedly, 
one after the other, passed our dwelling loaded with 
the dead, whether of the assailants or of the garri- 
son, to a place emphatically called the 'dead house.' 
Here the bodies were heaped in monstrous piles. The 
horror of the tight, to us southern men, principally 
consisted in seeing our companions borne to inter- 
ment uncoflined, and in the very clothes tliey had 
worn in baule ; their limbs distorted in vaiious di- 
rections, such as would ensue in the momentof death. 
Many of our friends and acquaintances weie appa- 
rent. Poor Nelson lay on the top of half a dozen 
other bodies — his arms extended beyond his head, as 
if in the act of prayer, and one knee crooked and 
raised, seemingly when he last gasped in the agonies 
of death. Cmse on these civil wars, which extin- 
guish the sociabilities of mankind, and annihilate the 
strength of nations ! A flood of tears was conse- 
quent. Though Montgomery was beloved, because 
of his manliness of soul, heroic bravery, and suavity 
of manners, Hendricks and Humphreys, for the same 



,>56 CAMPAIGN ' 

admirable qualities, and especially for the endurances 
we underwetit in conjunction, enforced many a tear 
Si ill my u,nhappy and lost brethren, though in hum- 
ble statior?^., wjth whom that dreadful wild was pene- 
trated, rmd om whom came many attentions to- 
wards n^ . ..ced melancholy sensations. From what 
is said . .lative to the "dead house," you might con- 
clude that General Carlton was inhuman or hard- 
hearted. No such thing. In tiiis northern latitude, 
at tins season of the year, according to my feehngs, 
(we had no thermometer,) the weather was so cold 
as usually to be many degrees below 0. A wound, if 
mortal, or even otherwise, casts the party wounded 
into the snow ; if death should follow it throws the 
sufferer into various attitudes, which are assumed in 
the extreme pain accompanying death. The mo- 
ment death takes place, the frost fixes the limbs in 
whatever situation they may happen to be. and 
which cannot be reduced to decent order until they 
are thawed. In this state the bodies of the slain are 
deposited in the "dead house," hard as ice. At this 
season of the year the earth is frozen from two to 
five feet deep, impenetrable to the best pick-axe, in 
the hands of the stoutest men. Hence you may per- 
ceive a justification of the " dead house." It is no 
new observation, " that climates form the manners 
and habits of the people." 

On the next day, (January 4th,) we were visit /" 
by Colonel Maclean, an old man. attended by oth(?r 
officers, for a peculiar purpose ; that is, to ascertain 
who among us were born in Europe. We had many 
Irishmen and some Englishmen. The question was 
put to each ; those who admitted a British birth were 
told they must serve his majesty in Col. Maclean's 
regiment, a new corps, called the ' Emigrants.' Our 
poor feilowsj under the fearful penalty of being car- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. : . 

riet] to Britain, there to be tried for treason, were 
compelled by necesc>ify, and many of them did en- 
list. Two of ihem, very brave men, Fdward Cave- 
nangh and Timothy Conner, deserve to be named, 
because of a particular occurrence w"' 'ch liappened 
shortly after. These two men, among others, called 
npon me for my advice how to act. Being, at that 
time, neither a lawyer nor a casuist, tliey had my o- 
pinion according to the dictates of nature, and some 
shght reading. Tl»at is, tliat they should enhst; for 
a constrained oatli, (as theirs would be,) could not be 
binding on the conscience — afid by all means to join 
=our army as soon as practii^able. They enlisted un- 
der the notion that the oath was non-obligatory , and 
a hope of a speedy return to tlieir friends and wives. 
Allow me here to recount, by anticipaiion, the resi- 
due of the adventures of "honest Ned." Towards 
the end of January, Cavenaugh and Conner hap- 
pened to compose a part of the same guard at Pal- 
ace gate, where the walls are from thirty to forty feet 
high, independently of the declivity of the hill. — 
Cavenaugh was stationed as a sentry in conjunction 
with one of the British party. Conner had procured 
a bottle of rum ; coming to the station, he drank, him- 
self, and presented the bottle to the British sentry. 
AVhile the latter was in the act of drinking, Cave- 
naugh gave him a push with the butt of his musket, 
>?'hich stunned and brought him to tlie earth. Ta- 
king his arms, they sprung over the wall into a bed 
of snow, perhaps twenty-five feet deep. This aver- 
ment concerning the depth of the snow, may appear 
problematical, as we know nothing like it in our cli- 
mate. Form no definite opinion until you have 
heard the reasons why it does happen. As you may- 
recollect several instances in this narrative, where the 
asperity of a Quebec winter is intimated, and a de- 

14 



158 CAMPAIGN 

scription of i(s effects atlempted ; such as frequent snow 
storms and fierce winds. In tlie month of January, 
particularly, when the snow has increased to a depth 
of seven feet over the face of the country, notwith- 
standing" the shining of the sun, the cold is so great 
that those winds drive the snow daily against the liigh 
ramparts of the city, where it forms a compact inasg 
— the last stratum heing hght and dry as the finest 
sand, which may he whirled by the wind. Cave 
naugh and Conner leaped into such a soft bed. 
Their disadvantage consisted in sinking too deep ; 
the height of the leap plunging them deeper than or- 
dinary v>^alking would do, made it difficult for them 
to extiicate themselves. The relief-guard came in 
time to give them a volley, as they w ere scampering 
away. Thanks to God, my worthy Irishmen esca- 
ped unharmed, though as they passed through St. 
Roque, they were complimented by several dischar- 
ges of cannister and grape shot. This was the first 
notice we had of the escape of our daring friends. 
We heard, next morning, all the minutiae from those 
who guarded us. i 

By the middle of January we were settled down i 
into a state of something like household order: those j 
vyho could economise fared tolerably well, though 
they could have used more. Our daily provisions 
consisted of a biscuit made of a coarse meal, from 
something like our chopped rye ; very often chaff or jii 
straw, halt an inch in length, was found in thisspe- "^ 
cies of bread. A biscuit of the size of a cake of gin- 
gerbread, now sold with us for a cent, was the daily 
allowance of this article : half a pound of pork, or 
three quarters of a pound of beef, though these were 
much salted, even so as to be uncomfortable — they I 
were of Irish preparation, perhaps for the sea-service ; 
a competent allowance of butter, originally fine, yet ^ 

I 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 159 

now rancid : candles, molasses, and even vinegar-- 
tills lasl article, so long as it could be afforded us, 
was a preservative from the disorders wiiicli unwit- 
tingly we were imbibing daily. Knowing ihe diffi- 
culties und«'r which the garrison lay — loes at the 
gates, and an uncertainty of succor ; the governor 
was thous^ht of by me, with similar allowances, ihat 
ought to be made to our own generals, in circunisian- 
ces of such pinching necessity. From all intorma- 
tion attainable on our part, we were* as well treated 
as those of the garrison, who lived on thesame kinds 
of food, except as to liquor, which deprivation was 
more beneficial than injin"40us to our men. It is 
grateful to my heart now to remember and repeat 
the benevolent sensations this mildness and humani- 
ty created in my mind, towards the virtuous, the 
amiable and venerable Carlton. He w as a genuine 
representative of the gentility of tlie Irish nation, 
which is so deservedly famous for the production of 
real heioes, patriotic statesmen, and a generosity and 
suavity of manners. He was of great candor, up- 
rii^htness and honor, and full of the spirit of philan- 
thropy, whicli marks the real gentleman. He made 
us several visits, in all of which he seemed merely to 
ha\e a solicitude for our welfare, without any sinis- 
*er view, such as seduction from our principles, <fcc. 
^hat he gianted us every accommodation his try- 
aig situation authorized, there can be no doubt. — 
Shottly after tlie time now spoken of, we were con- 
ducted to the Dauphin jail. Before we quit the reg- 
uliers, admit me to stale to you something more, re- 
lating to our manner of living there. My youthful 
appetite required and demanded a greater quantity of 
food than we then enjoyed. We wanted spoons, not 
only in our own mess, but throughout the whole 
corps. There was oo money among us to purchase 



100 CAMPAIGN 

such an implement, and if ihere had been, and op- 
portunity had oflered, it is likely the jealousy of gov- 
ernment would have deprived us of them, if formed 
of metal of any kinil. 

One day being at the unloading- of a cord of wood, 
a birch slick, the only piece of hard wood in the 
load, was eagerly laid hold of, and borne to the mess- 
room ; from this a wooden s})oon w as soon formed for 
my own use. Lobscouse made a part of our churnal 
food. This term, though vulgar, conveys to one, 
who, when hungry, has tasted the dish, some agree- 
able ideas. Among soldiers and sailors it is esteem- 
ed equal to the " olla podrida" of the Spaniards, and 
nearly so to the " speck and oyer" of the Germans ; 
it is certainly more nourishing than what the latter 
call " water soup," and even "meal soup." We put 
our vile biscuit into a tin vessel, with a sufficient 
quantity of water, and permitted it to stew on the 
stove, until there was a perfect mucilage, some thin 
slices of bacon fat, (the reserve of the last meal,) were 
then added ; or some of the skimmings of the boil- 
ers, but most usually, the rancid butter, (which was 
thus made palatable:) when these substances were 
well incorporated with the biscuit ; a few spoon-fulls 
of molasses fniished the dish. '^I'hiswas the ordina- 
ry breakfast, and a good one, when we could spoor 
it into our mouths. My spoon, therefore, was an ai 
tide in great demand, and of prime necessity. ''I'lr 
production of one spoon created a desire for more; 
they were manufactured irj abinidanceby the means 
of two knives — a great and a small, but always dis- 
posed of for biscuit. Spoons were made as large as 
small ladles, some with a deer at full stretch, a hound 
pursuing— an Indian sitting — a beaver — and twenty 
other devices were invented, and tolerably well carv- 
ed. Some came to live biscuitd, sotne to ten, and 



AGAINST QUEBEC. l6i 

otifi in particular at twenty, which my friends thought 
worthy of the acceptance of the governor, hut care 
was taken not to present it. Boyd and Cunningham 
carefully furnished the wood. Thus we could exist 
pretty well on our slender diet. But we had other 
resources which were by no means neglected. Hen- 
ry Crone, a well bred young man, descended from a 
worthy and respectable family of York county, Penn- 
sylvania, much my senior, but who was knowrj to 
me during his apprenticeship at Lancaster, had dis- 
sipated a good fortune at the gaming table ; he was 
a sergeant of Hendricks'. Miserable as was our pre- 
dicament, the demon of play had intruded itsell a- 
mong us, though there was neither money nor clo- 
thing, but that upon our backs, and our daily provis- 
ions, to sport with. The play was for biscuit, and 
most usually at a game called " all-fours," in which 
Crone w^as a real adept. He was a droll dog, and 
much inclined to play with and beat the Yankees, 
as he termed them. Many mornings, being com- 
pelled by the inclemency of the season, to leave our 
uncomfortable bed, pacing the avenues in front of our 
cells for exercise and warmih, drawing aside the cur- 
tain of the gambling room door, which was no other 
than a thread-bare blanket, Crone was seen and heard 
with bleared eye and a vociferous! voice, afier a night's 
sitting, contending for a biscuit with as much i-pirit 
and heat as most probably he had done in Ibrnier 
times for fifty or a hundred dollars. The passion for 
gaming is almost an inexplicable trait in tl)e human 
character — the poor, the rich, the savage and the civ- 
ilized, are equally its devotees. The greatest and the 
lieast are alike subject to its fascinations. Crone, poor 
dog, was one of the devoted. 

Montgomery, in his care for Arnold's party, besides 
an excellent blanket coat, had assigned to each man 
14* 



162 CAMPAIGN 

a new red regimental coat of the seventh, or some 
other regiment stationed in tiie npper country. This 
clothing had been seized at Montreal. Crone, in 
the general division, had fared well. He had ob- 
tained a large superfine broad-cloth coat, such as is 
worn by the fc^ergeani-major of the British army, 
wliich '-fitted him like a shirt." He was so totally 
devoid of care that he never once applied to the tai- 
lors of the army, who were employed by the public,, 
to fit the coat to his back, and to sew it regularly. — 
What Was still more laughable, he had no pockets to 
his coat, unless you may call the flarmel such, which 
inside lined the lappets, and bore the appearance 
of large bags dangling about his heels. Crone was 
facetious and clever ; he had an aflection for me. 
Often about daylight he would come to my blanket 
and waken me, and shake the lappets of his coat. 
He would say, " Come, Jack, here's something for 
you," and would foice upon me, ten, fifteen, and sev- 
eral times, even thirty biscuits. With all his vices 
he bore a great share of my esteem, for the goodness 
of his heart. When ill-luck occurred, there was a 
refunding on my pan, but it seldom happened. Our 
other resource was William M'Coy, a sergeant of 
Hendricks', an excellent clerk, who came into favor 
with the Governor, by giving to Major Murray of the 
garrison, a genuine copy of his journal of the route 
through the wilderness into Canada. He was a se- 
date and sensible man. He was installed " clerk of 
the kitchen," and put me much in mind of Gil Bias' 
clerk. The cook, whom xM'Coy patronized, was a 
very Bonilace in accomplishments, and a Sancho 
Panza in rotundity. He was of Thayer's or Dear- 
boine's company. Believe me, that these two men 
were courted by our hungry wights among the sol- 
diery with ay much eagerness and solicitudcj and of- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 16S 

ten sycophancy, as would liave been the case had 
tliey been die ministers of a great state. What could 
you suppose to be the object of such servihty? To 
explain : the boihng utensils were two very large 
coppers. A boiling- of pork produced a great quanti- 
ty of liquid fat, which the men called .slush. The 
skimmings constituted the importance 'of the cook, 
who made a profit from it by seihng it to certain 
tradesmen of the city. A lialf pint of this slush was 
a good succedaneum for better food, to a mess of six 
stout men. It, with the molasses, formed an excel- 
lent lobscouse. Oleaginous matter, next to bread, is, 
however, the great support of the animal functions, 
and even superior to bread, to sustain life and gratify 
the palate. Here you see the real ground of the cau- 
ses of distinctions in society. The cook, possessing 
this perquisite, commanded his applicants for addi- 
tional food with an unwarrantable austerity. As to 
our mess, it was strong in habits of intimacy with 
M'(>oy, who was one of 11.9. The cook was far be- 
low our notice. Friend M'Coy gave us every ad- 
vantage our melancholy situation afforded him. 

Coming to the Dauphin jail, escorted by the mili- 
tary, we found it well accommodated for our lodg- 
ment. There were four rooms below, and as many 
above stairs, all capacious and well supplied with births 
or bulks, in the common method of barracks. Our 
company taking the right our precedence in the pro- 
<:ession gave us, assumed the possession of a room in 
the third story, which was in truth the very best. 
Morgan's took a room immediately below us ; Hen- 
dricks' one adjoining: but reniember that at this time 
we were reduced most lamentably by killed, vcound- 
ed and missing. Many were in the hospital. Out 
of sixty-five who came on Abraham's plains in No- 
vember, we had scarcely more than thirty left with 



164 CAMPAIGN 

US in prison, the fire of the enemy and disease had so 
thinned us. Morgan's gallant men fared worse. — 
Like (he eastern people, before, and at that period, 
they detested the intiofiuction of tlie small-pox into 
their country by iimoculaiion Now they were its 
victims. liCss than twenty-five of the privates oft hat 
company regained their native homes. They were 
originally as elegant a body of men as ever came in- 
to my view. I'o use the style of my friend Simp- 
son, '' they were beauiiuil boys, who knew how to 
handle and aim the rifle." Indeed, many of them, 
(adroit young men, courageous and thorough-going,) 
became the subjects of deaih by that virulent disease, 
both without and within the city. We, of Penn- 
sylvania, had no fears from that source. This dis- 
ease had visited us in youth, either naturally or by 
innoculation. ''l^his observation, whicli is a serious 
one, should convey to your minds the immensity of 
the discovery of the innoculation of the kine pox, 
by doctor Jenner. The dis overy of the causes of 
lightning, its dreadful effects, the means of avoiding 
its power, by the celebrated Franklin, our country- 
man, is, (as it concerns the happiness of man, speak- 
ing diffitieiuly.) perhaps inferior to that of Jenner. 
The Jeimerian discovery tends to save the lives of 
millions — the Franklinian, of hundreds. But all 
lovers of natural philosophy are compelled to adniit 
that the identity of theelectiic fiuid, obtained artific- 
ially, wiih that of the clouds, has given a wider scope 
to human thought than the recency of the Jenneri- 
an discovery, has as yet, afforded. There can be 
little doubt that in a succession of years, some gigan- 
tic genius of the uiedical profession will in)prove and 
extend the benefits of the happy disclosure. 

At the Dau{)liin jail, our notions of escape were 
strengthened. The prison may be 300 yards from 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 163 

St. John'?? grate: the interval, at that time, was free 
from buildmgs. From without the building appear- 
ed formidable. The court-yard was very contracted 
for so large a house, and was cncontpassed by a strong 
stone wail, at least twenty feet high. The windows 
and doors were seemingly, by (heir bars, impenetra- 
ble. But what cannot men of true spirit effect when 
made the subjects of oppression. Opposite to the 
jail, across the street leading to Si. John's gate, at a 
distance of forty yanls, there stood a house, which 
became the station of the guard, who superintended 
lis. In the first of our imprisonment we were attend- 
ed by the regular troops, 6r sailors, who were embod- 
ied by government as soldiers ; but now the guard, 
{as our force without had made a firm stand,) was 
replaced by the militia, who were the most inert and 
detjpicable of military men. The sentries were sta- 
tioned on the outside of the jail — we had no witness- 
es of our conduct within, except the captain of the 
provost, who did not pry with a suspicious eye. He 
was a generous and open-hearted enemy — had no 
guile hinjself, nor imputed it to others. The princi- 
pal defence on this side of the city, as it regarded our 
attempt at evasion, lay at and near St. John's gate. 
The guard here was most usually composed of thirty 
men, of the regular troops or sailors. They would 
have given us a hustle, but of a certainty we should 
have overpowered them by tlie force of numbers, as 
stout and as able bodied men as themseh/es, whose 
courage was not to be questioned, though there was 
a great difference in the nature of our respective 
arms. Having examined the jail carefully, iis imbe- 
cility to restrain us was apparent. It was an old 
French building in the Bastile style. The walls of 
stone, and more than three (eet thick, were impene- 
trable by any of our means. Upon examining the 



166 CAMPAIGN 

bars of the windows, which were originally ill-con- 
structed, inany were found so much corroded, as (o 
move up and down in (he sockets. These could be 
taken out. Tiie mildness of Governor Carlton's 
reign seemed not to require a strict inspection imo 
places of this kind. About tliis time a selected coun- 
cil was called, of which your father had the honor to 
be one, and was chiefly composed of the sergeants. 
Major Jo.-eph Aston, then a seigeant.-major, had the 
presidency. Our discoveries were debated — the 
means of escape considered, and a consultation of the 
men recommended, lliis was done, and there was 
not a dissentient voice. At the stair head there was 
a small room lighted by a small window ; the door 
was locked. Peeping through the key-hole, large i- 
ron hoops were discoveied : the spring of the lock 
kindh^ gave way to our efforts ; the room was ran- 
sacked, and as neatly closed. The room furnished 
us with a large number of strong iron hoops, two 
and three inches broad, and a considerable quantity 
of other iron, of different shapes and sizes, deposited 
there as lumber. From the first, of these ai tides we 
formed a rough but weighty species of sword, with a 
wooden handle; a blow frotn which, in the hands of 
one of our stout men, woidd have brought down one 
of tl)e stoutest of the enemy. The residue of the 
iron was applied to the formation of spear-heads. 
These were affixed to splits of fir-plank, about ten 
feet in length, wliich had formed in part the bottoms 
of the lower births. These weapons, it is true, were 
of the coarsest make, yet in the hands of men deter- 
mined to sacrifice their lives for freedom, they would 
have had a considerable sway. Our long knives, 
which many of us secreted when captured, also be- 
came spear points. These weapons were concealed 
under the lower range of births, which were raised a 



AGAINST QUEBEC. U1 

foot from the tioor. The planks were neatly raised, 
the nails were extricated, and the nail head, with a 
part of its shank, placed in its former position. Over 
these lay our blankets and bundles. It was a stand- 
ing rule to have two sentries constantly on the watch, 
one at each end of the interior of the jail. Their 
duty consisted in giving a signal of the approach of 
the officers of the garrison, who were in the habit of 
visiting us daily : as there were shoe makers and tai- 
lors among us, wiio worked cheaper than those of 
the city, merely for the purpose of bettering their con- 
dition, there was policy in this watchfulness. — 
When the signal was given, the inner doors were 
thrown open ; those appointed for the purpose, laid 
upon the birth which hid our arms, as if in a diow- 
sy state. The officers were accosted wii h assumed 
confidence, and much complaisance. Tiie council 
met daily, sometimes in small squads, and when any 
thing of much consequence was to be considered, in 
larger ; but at all times secretly, or at least not obvi- 
ously as a council, from fear of traitors, or some in- 
discretion of the young men. Our arrangements, as 
far as my judgment could discern, were judicious. 
Aston was to act as general ; M'Coy and some oth- 
ers became colonels. Boyd and others of the most 
spirit, became majors, captains, lieutenants, &.c. That 
which cheered me much, was that the council assign- 
ed me a first lieutenancy under my friend Boyd, 
whose vigor and courage were unquestionable. 

The plan of the escape was thus : Ashton, who 
was an excellent engineer, was to have the particu- 
lar superintendence of Lamb's company, which, toa 
man, was well-informed in its duiy, active and spir- 
ited. These were to be increased to a band of one 
hundred and fifty men, whose duty it was to attack 
the guard at St. John's gate. The attack of the 



leS CAMPAIGN 

g-uard opposite the jail, was assigned to the discretion 
of Boyd, Cuimingham and myseil ; the council gen- 
erously giving us the authority of a first selection of 
twenty-two persons, from the whole body of our men. 
The residue of our force was so disposed of as to act 
as a body of reserve to Aston, under the command of 
M'Coy, and another smaller body was reserved to sup- 
port Boyd, particularly by way of setting tire to the 
jail, the guard-house, and the buildings in its neigh- 
borhood, to amuse or employ the enemy while w-e 
were tunning to St. John's gate. It was expected 
we could arrive there by the time Aston and fiis par- 
ty wou'd be victorious. Our particular duty was of 
the desperate kind, something of the natuie of the 
"forlorn hope." Nothing but the virtue and bravery 
of our comrades could ensmethe safety of our lives ; 
for if they should arrive at St. John's gate and dis- 
comfit tlie guard, and then seek safety by flight, they 
wouhl leave us to the mercy of an enraged enemy, 
who would sacrifice us to their fury. But there has 
been too much precipitation in the relation. Previ- 
ous to the last observations, besides being told of our 
force, our weapons, and our military plans, you should 
have been informed also of the real site of the jail — • 
of its internal structure, from which the sally was to 
be made. The Dauphin jail is built on a plain pret- 
ty much inclined to the street. It follows that the 
front of the lower story, (that is, the cellars,) was on 
a level with the street. The back ground was ten 
or twelve feet higher. In the cellar, near the foot of 
the stairway, there was a plenteous fountain of wa- 
ter, which supplied the house. The conduits lead- 
ing from the spring, by the severity of the weather, 
were impeded by the ice, so that the water, in great 
quantity, remained in the cellar, which, with the ad- 
ditional carelessness of our people, who cast the ria- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 169 

sing of their buckets on the floor of the apartment, 
formed a bed of ice a foot thick, and very firm and 
solid. This cellar had a door newly made, of strong 
pine plank, five feet in width, which opened inwards 
— the sill was level w^'h the street. The door was 
hung upon H hinges of a large size, fixed on the in- 
side, exposed to our view and operations. But what 
was still more absurd, the door was hasped within, 
and secured by a large pad lock. Close inspection 
and thoughifulness had made the members of the 
council, by the means that they enjoyed, periect mas- 
ters of those hinges and the lock ; they would not 
have stood a second of time. The principal obstacle 
was the ice, which was raised Adly a foot against the 
door. Even this would have given Avay to our inge- 
nuity. The whole of our plan was well laid, and 
thoroughly digested. That door was to be our sally 
port. Boyd preceding with our division — Aston and 
M'Coy following, they turning rapidly to the left for 
St. John's gate. The dislocation of (he iron bars of 
the window, was to ensue: all those which could be 
removed being known, were to become issues for our 
bravest men. Every man knew his station. It is 
an old and a trite observation, that it is a difficult 
thing to describe a battle so as to give a clear idea of 
all the causes and effects of each movement, with- 
out overloading and confusing the picture. The same 
may be said of a conspiracy such as ours. Going 
through the entry from the front door into the jail- 
yard, near the back door, hut still within the prison, 
there are two cavities opposite to each oiher, strongly 
walled and arched. We called them the black holes. 
On the outside of the building, in the yard, those cav- 
ities assumed the forms of banks, ten or eleven feet 
high, and as wide ; and well sodded. With some 
address and agility a sprightly man could surpass ei- 
15 



no CAMPAIGN 

ther of them. The wall above these banks was 
probably ten feet higher. In the daytime we often 
cUmbed up the wall, by means of its interstices, from 
which the mortar had fallen in the course of time, 
to take a peep at the city, merely putting our ej^es 
above the level of the top of it. 

A Mr. Martin, a hardy, daring and active young 
man of Lamb's company, I think a sergeant, propo- 
sed to bear intelligence of our projects to the Ameri- 
can commander, without the walls. His plan was 
approved. A time for irruption was named, though 
the day was not particularized The signals to in- 
vite the advance of our army to St. John's gate, were 
(he burning of the hou^^es, and the firing of the guns 
of the ramparts towards the city. As yet, we were 
unprepared to move. This expedition of Martin's 
was a profound secret among the council, from a fear 
that some bungler might attempt the same path, fail, 
and by his being taken, unveil our plots. Permit me 
a short episode on the escape of Martin. It was sin- 
gularly adventurous, and the neatness of its execu- 
tion renders it w^orthy of remark. I had the pleasure 
of hearing it recounted, in more happy times, at New 
York. Martin was dressed in warm clothing, with 
good gloves ; a white cap, shirt and over-alls were 
prepared for him. He appeared in the jail-yard a- 
mong the prisoners, in his daily dress. The time of 
locking up and calling the roll generally happened 
about sun-down. It was the business of the captain 
of the provost, who was accompanied by a file of men. 
The prisoners, instigated by those in the secret, em- 
ployed themselues out of doors until late in the eve- 
ning, in play, as if to keep their bodies warm. It 
was a blowing and dreary evening, which was pur- 
posely chosen. At locking up, those in the secret 
lagged behind, tardily, pushing the uninformed be- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 171 

fore, yet so slowly, as effectually to crowd the gang- 
way ; Martin remaining in the rear. The operation 
took place at the clanging of the lock of the great 
front door. This measure was imagined and effect- 
ed on purpose to procure to Martin a sufficiency of 
leisure to get to his hiding place, which was no oth- 
er than a nook formed by the projection of the door 
way, and on the lop of one of the banks before spo- 
ken of Here he had time to put on his cap, shirt, 
(fcc. The officer who examined the yard could not 
perceive him unless he went out of the door, several 
paces to the left, and most probably not even tlien, 
for Martin would be covered in the snow, and imper- 
ceptible. Hrippily the officer went no fuither than 
the threshold, and made but a slight survey of the 
yard. This account, so far, is derived from my own 
knowledge ; what follows, is from Martin himself. 
" Martin tarriefd there until seven or eight o'clock. 
The dilemma he was in could only be smpassed in 
imminence of danger, by his extreme activity, skdl 
and courage. There were four sentries stationed a- 
round the jail — two at each corner in front, and the 
like number at the corners of the yard in the rear. 
Those sentries, though relieved every quarter of an 
hour, were soon driven into the sentry boxes by the 
cold and keenness of the whistling winds. If they 
had paced the spaces allotted them by duty, the e- 
scape of Martin must have been impossible. Watch- 
ing the true time he slipped down the wall into the 
deep snow underneath unobserved. Hence he made 
a sudden excursion to the left of St. John's gate, at 
a part of the wail where he knew no sentry was pla- 
ced. Leaping the wall into the snow, he received 
the fire of a distant sentry. Martin was unharmed. 
The soldier fiied, as it were, at a phantom ; for 
when Martin's body came into contact with the snow 



172 CAMPAIGN 

it was indiscernible ; the desired information was giv- 
en :" but of this we could ujerely make surmises un- 
til the May following. That which is very remark- 
able is that the absence of Martin was unknown to 
government until the explosion of our plot. 

Our next solicitude was the acquisition of powder. 
This aiticle could be obtained but by sheer address 
and shrewd management. But we had to do with 
men who were not of the military cast. We began 
fiist to enter int.o familiarity with the sentries, joking 
with them and pretending to learn French from them. 
The guard, usually of Canadians, consisted of many 
old men and young boys, who were very '•coming.^ 
A few small gun-carriages were constructed, not more 
than six inches in length, and mounted with cannon 
or howitzers, which were mcide of many folds of pa- 
per, at)d were bound tightly around with thread. — 
These were shown to the sentries from time to time, 
and a little powder was requested, with which to 
cliarge them. Our births formed an angle of the 
room, ^'he upper births, as well as the lower, had a 
ledge of several inches in height^ in which embra- 
sures were forrned with the knife. Two parties were 
raised in opposition to each other, each of which took 
possession of one side of the angle. The blaze and 
report, which was nearly as great and as loud as that 
of sirjall pistols, created much laughter and merri- 
ment. This sport, the child of a seeming folly, ser- 
ved us as a pretence and justification for soliciting 
powder. The apparent joy prevailing among us, 
pleased the Canadians, both old and young, and did 
not alarm the government. We obtained many car- 
tridges in the course of a few weeks, two-thirds of 
which came to the hands of Aston and hi.-? corps, for 
the purpose of manufacturing matches, &.c. (fee. — - 
Fire arms of any kind could not by any finesse be 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 173 

procured. The commerce of cartridges, accompa- 
nied by a suavity and deference of manners towards 
our young friei-ds, procured us many quarters of 
pounds of powder, which they bought secreily out of 
lunds, some of which were procured in a ludicrous 
way. We had many sick in the hospital; for when 
any one appeared to be disordered in the least de- 
gree, lie was hurried to the infirmary ; when cured, 
lie was returned to us. Some of the men went so 
far as to feign sickness, to get to that place, where 
tliey lived in a more sumptuous style than that of 
the jail. The frequent removals caused the propa- 
gation of a report that the prison was unhealthy. — 
Many pious matrons came to see us, and never enip- 
ty handed. Some elderly nuns, of respectable fam- 
ilies, were of the number, and generally brought n»on- 
ey — truly not in great quantity, but not the less ac- 
ceptable to the sick and convalescent, as these alms 
procured them some slight comforts, such as tea, (fee. 
l^hese were the religious and humane collections of 
the sisteihood, and mostly consisted of the smallest 
change. There was a beautiful countenanced youth, 
Thomas Gibson, first sergeant of Hendricks, who 
had studied physic at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, allied 
to nie by affinity, who had, (probably fron»a knowl- 
edge he had of his profession,) sustained his health 
hitherto ; his cheeks were bloonnng as roses. He 
was one of the council. As young men, we cared lit- 
tle about the means, so that we obtaitied the end — 
which w^as powder. We lived above stairs, and nev- 
er shared in the gratuities of the ladies, which were 
rapaciously awaited at tlie entrance of the prison. 
Gibson and myself were standing at a window near 
the great door, and opposite to M'Coy's room, a neat 
little box, which had been constructed for his use. 
Looking into the street, a lady with a tliick veil was 
16* 



174 CAMPAIGN 

observed to take the path through (he snow to our 
habitation. " Zounds ! Gibson, there's a nun," was 
scarcely expressed, before he was hurried into M'Coy's 
apartment and put to bed, tfioug^h dressed. Several 
of us waited respectfully at the door, till the officer of 
the guard unlocked it. The nun entered — she ap- 
peared, from her manners, to be genteel and respec- 
table. We were most sedulous in our attentions to 
the lady, and so prevailed, as to induce her to come 
into M'Coy's room. Here lay Gibson, covered to the 
chin w^ith the bed clothes, nothing exposed but his 
beautiful hair and red cheeks, the latter indicating a 
high fever. It was w^ell the lady was no physician. 
The nun, crossing herself, and whispering a pater- 
noster, poured the contents of her little purse into the 
hand of the patient, which he held gently without 
the blanketing, and left us. What should the dona- 
tion be hut twenty-four coppers, equal at that time to 
two shillings of our money. The latter circumstance 
added much to the humor and extreme merriment 
of the transaction. This money was solely appro- 
priated for powder. Thus, careless of every thing 
but the means of escaping, we enjo3^ed many merry, 
and even happy hours. 

Aston, who was provident of time, by the middle 
of Marcli. (I have no note of the precise period,) had 
all his matters of arrangement in good order. The 
council assigned a day for the irruption. As we dar- 
ed not touch the door in the cellar, from a fear of dis- 
covery by inspection, (and it was examined almost 
daily,) it was determined to postpone the unloosing 
the hinges and lock, which were under our com- 
mand, until the moment of escape. It became a main 
question, how to remove the ice at the foot of the 
door. Here lay the great difficulty, as it was univer- 
eally agreed that the door must be dragged dowa 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 175 

suddenly, so that we might march over it. Remem- 
ber also, that a sentry was posted not more than from 
fifteen to twenty feet from the outside of the door. 
Many propositions were made in council, how to ef- 
fect the removal of the body of ice withont exposure 
to detection. One was lightly to pick it away wirh 
hatchets, a few of which had been secretly retained 
by the prisoners, and brought into the jail. To this 
there were several insuperable objections : the softest 
stroke of the lightest tomahawk upon the ice, would 
be heard by a sentry so Jiear ; or an unlucky stroke 
might touch the door, wliich would resotmd and in- 
evitably cause a discovery^ Others proposed to wear 
away the ice by boiling water ; two most obvious ob- 
jections lay here : the steam would search for a vent 
through the crevices of the door and window, and 
develop our measures; besides, the extreme cold would 
have congealed the hot water the moment it fell, so 
as to add to our difficulties. Another idea was sug- 
gested : it was to cut the door across on the surface 
of the ice with knives ; to this plan there was a fatal 
exception — the ice had risen on the lower cross-piece 
of the door nearly an inch, so that we must cut ihro' 
the cross-piece lengthwise, and through the thick 
plank crosswise. Though this labor might have 
been accomplished by industry and perseverance, yet 
the time it would necessarily take would cause a dis- 
covery by the searchers. The last and only method 
to avoid discovery was adopted. This was to em- 
body sixteen or eighteen of the most prudent men, 
who knew the value of silence, who should, two and 
two, relieve each other, and with our long knivrs 
gently pare away the ice next the sill of the door, so 
as to make a groove of four or six inches wide, par- 
alell with, and deep as the sill. The persons were 
named and appointed to this service. Now the ca- 



176 CAMPAIGN 

pability of the execution of our plot, infused comfort 
and joy into all hearts. It was intended immediate- 
ly after locking up, on the night of the irruption, 
that those prudent men should descend into i he vault 
by pairs, and by incessant labor have the work fin- 
ished by three o'clock in the morning, when the sal- 
ly should be made. We had carefully noticed from 
the walls of the jail and the ridge of the house, where 
there is a trap-door, the placing of the guards, the 
numbers and stationing of the sentries. We were 
safe, therefore, in the measures we had taken for the 
attack of the guard of St, John's gate. Our own 
guard was perfectly scrutinized. The opportunities 
were of the most commodious kind. 1 he guard- 
house was directly in our front, where we could see 
and be seen. Their windows had no shutters. They 
had lights all the night through: we, the belter to ob- 
serve thetu, kept none. This latter circumstance en- 
abled us distinctly to see that the arms with fixed 
bayonets were placed in the right hand corner of the 
room, as we would enter from the stairhead, and that 
the guard towards morning, to a man, were lying a- 
sleep on the floor. The sentries, as they were re- 
lieved, did the like. This guard, as was before said, 
in ordmary, consisted of thirty persons. Boyd's par- 
ty, from a perfect knowledge of their method of con- 
ducting, esteemed it no great hardship to undertake 
the overwhelming them. The nights weie piercing- 
ly cold — the sentries soon housed themselves in their 
boxes. As the sally, to succeed, must be most silent 
and quick, it was hoped to quiet all of them before 
any alarm could spread. Besides Boyd's division, 
(the first rank of wnich was to despatch the nearest 
sentry by the spear,) others of the succeeding corps 
were assigned to assail the rest of the sentries imme- 
diately around the prison. The getting up the stairs 



AGAINST QUEBEC. ITt 

of our guard-house, so quickly as to create no alarm, 
was not only feasible, but in my mind, (with the force 
delegated to us,) of absolute certainty of success. — 
The front door being open by night and day, we 
knew the precise number of steps the stairs contain- 
ed. An agile man would mount at three strides. 
A light was continually in the passage. Entering 
the room, and turning to the right, the arms in the 
corner were ours. The bayonet, from necessity, 
would become the lot of the guard. In this part of 
the enterprise, profound silence was all-important ; 
the section was to rely on the spear and tomahawk. 
Asion, on the other haifd, being victorious at St. 
John's gate, was instantly to (urn the cannon upon 
the city : his fuses, portfire, &c. were prepared and 
ready as substitutes for those of the eneuiy, if they 
were extinguished or taken from the guns. It was 
known to us that all the cannon of the ramparts 
were charged and primed, and boxes of ammunition 
and piles of balls in the vicinity of each gun ; it was 
calculated that the execution of the business of our 
section might be effected in at least fifteen minutes, 
together Avith the firing of the houses. Then run- 
ning to support Aston, and if he was victorious, to 
maintain our position on the walls, under a hope of 
the arrival of the American army from without. In 
that event St. John's gate, as a first measure, was to 
be opened. But if Aston should unfortunately be 
beaten, (which was most improbable,) then we were 
to fly in all directions, and make the adventurous 
leap. It was supposed that in the latter case, the 
hurry and bustle created by so sudden, unforeseen 
and daring an attack, would throw the garrison into 
consternation and disorder to so great a degree, as to 
admit the escape of many. Sluggards might expect 
to be massacred. 



178 CAMPAIGN 

The particularity of the foregoing details are pur- 
posely made, to impress on your minds a single truth : 
" That the best imagined schemes and thoroughly 
" digested designs, whether in military or civil life, 
" may be defeated by a thoughtless bo}^, the interfe- 
" rence of an idiot, or a treacherous knave." Two 
lads from Connecticut or Massachusetts, whose names 
are now lost to my memory, prisoners with us, but 
who had no manner of connection or intercourse with 
the chiefs, nor knew the minute, yet essential parts 
of the measures of the council ; but probably having 
overheard a whisper of the time and manner of the 
evasion, without consultation, or without authority 
from their superiors, in the thoughtless ardor of their 
minds, on the eve of the sally descended into the cel- 
lar, and with hatchets, picked at the ice at the door- 
sill. The operation was heard. The sentry threat- 
ened to fire. The guard was instantly alarmed and 
immediately doubled, and all our long-labored schemes 
and well-digested plans annihilated in a moment. — 
You cannot form an adequate idea of the pangs we 
endured. My heart was nearly broken by the ex- 
cess of surprise and burning anger, to be thus fatu- 
itously depiived of the gladdening hope of a speedy 
return to our friends and country. It became us, 
however, to put the best face upon it. It was sud- 
denly resolved by the chiefs to kill the person who 
should disclose the general plot, and to wait upon the 
officers on the ensuing morning, with our usual at- 
tentions. When morning came, it found us afoot. 
About sunrise, the formidable inquisition took place. 
Major Murray, Captain Prentiss, the officer of the 
guard, and a dozen musketeers came — we awaited 
their approach undismayed. They accosted us very 
coolly. The cellar was visited, and the work of these 
fools was apparent. Re-ascending, we could assure 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 1T9 

the ^^entlemen that this effort to escape was without 
the knowledge of any of us. This, to be sure, was 
said in the Jesuitical style, but those who made the 
assertion did not then know either ihe persons or the 
names of the silly adventurers. The officers and the 
guard were departing, fully persuaded that it was no 
more than the attempt of one or two persons to es- 
cape. Major Murray was the last to lecede. An 
Englishman, (of whom we knew not that he was a 
deserter from our enemies at Boston,) had posted him- 
self close to the right jamb of the door, which was 
more than half opened for the passage of the major. 
Those of us who were d'etermined to execute our 
last-night's resolution, armed with our long knives, 
had formed a half circle around the door, without ob- 
serving the intrusion and presence of the deserter. 
Major Murray was standing on the threshold, speak- 
ing in a kindly manner to us, when the villian 
sprung past the major, even jostling him. The 
spring he made was so sudden and so entirely unsus- 
pected, that he screened himself from our just ven- 
geance. Touching major Murray's shoulder, "Sir," 
says he, "I have something to disclose." The guards 
encompassed the traitor, and hurried him away to the 
Governor's palace. We instantaneously perceived 
the extent and consequence of this disaster. The 
prisoners iirmnediately destroyed such of the arms as 
were too bulky to hide, if destructible, and secreted 
the rest. In an hour an officer and file of men deman- 
ded Boyd, Cunningham and others, represented by the 
vile informer as prominent actors in the plot. They 
were escorted to the Governor's council. Here they 
found that the wretch had evidenced all our proceed- 
ings minutely, naming everyone who was prominent. 
Our worthy compatriots were examined on oath, and 
as men of honor could not conceal the truth. The 



180 CAMPAIGN 

questions of tlie council, (furnished by the informer.) 
did not admit of equivocation or evasion, if the ex- 
aminants had been so inclined ; and besides, all ter- 
giversation, when the outline was marked, was nuga- 
tory. They boldly admitted and justified the at- 
tem(3t. We did not fare the worse in our provisions 
nor in the estimation of our enemy. Returning to 
the jail, my dear Boyd shed the tears of excruciating 
anguish in my bosotri, deploring our adverse fate. 
We had vowed to each other to be free or die, and to 
be thus foolishly baulked, caused the most heart- 
rending grief. 

Towards 2 o'clock, P. M. Ave saw several heavy 
cart-loads, consisting of long and weighty irons, such 
as bilboes, foot-hobbles, and hand cuffs, arrive. The 
prisoners were ordered to their rooms. The ironing 
began below staiis witii Morgan's company. Here 
the bilboes were expended. If not much mistaken, 
ten or twelve persons were secured, each by a foot to 
a bar twelve feet long, and two inches in diameter. 
The heavy bolts were exhausted in the story below 
us. When they came to our range of rooms, they 
turned to the left, instead of coming to the right 
where we were. By the time the officers came to 
us, even the hand-cuffs were nearly out. Each of 
us was obliged to take to his berth, which contained 
five men each. When they had shackled those of 
the lower births,' they commenced at one the most 
distant from ours. Slipping in the rear of my com- 
panions, bent down in apparent trepidation, the black 
sniith ironed my messmates, and then called to me 
to descend and submit to his office. Coming — ' Nev- 
er mind that lad,' said my friend captain Prentiss. 
They had but three or four pairs of hand-cuffs left, 
which were clapped on the elderly and robust. Be- 
sides M'Coy, our Boniface the cook, Doctor Gibson, 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 181 

two others and myself, who were unhampered, all the 
rest were, in appearance, tightly and firmly secured. 
Though M'Coy and Boniface were adepts at insur- 
rection, yet their services were of too much impor- 
tance to government, to be dispensed with. The 
others of tlie unfettered remained so from the exhaus- 
tion of the shackles. A new species of interesting 
occurrences, mingled with much fun and sportive 
humoj now occurred, which was succeeded by a se- 
ries of horrible anguish. The doors were scarcely 
closed before we iDegan to essay the unshackling. 
Those who had small hands, by compressing the 
pahris, could easily slip the irons from their w rist. Of 
fl)e>^ there were r any. who became the yssisiants of 
their i\ eii.'is, wh(^>-e hand> weie l;ir;er. Keie there 
wa^ a n cessitv for mcrenuity. Knives n(»tched as 
saw- were the principal means. The liead of the 
rivei at the end of the bar was sawed off; it was 
lengthened and a screw formed upon it, to cap vvhich 
a false head was made, eiiher of iron or of lead, re- 
sembling as much as possible the true head. Again 
new rivets were formed from the iron we had pre- 
served in om" secret hoards from the vigilance of the 
searchi^rs. The^^e new rive's being made to be;!r a 
strong iikeness to ibe old, were then ctu into two 
par(< — one part was diiven into the bolt tightly, be- 
came stationary, the other part was moveable. It 
l)eh(.ved ihe weaierof the manacle to look to it that 
he did not lose the loose part, and when the search- 
ei:§ came to examine, that it should stand firm in the 
or.fice. Some poor fellows, perhap^^ fiom a defect of 
ifjgennity, the hardness of the iron, or the want of 
the requisite tools, could not discharge the bilboes. 
This was particularly the melancholy predicament 
of three of Morgan's men, w hose lieels were too long 
to slip ihiuugh the iigo; which encguipassed the 
18 



It2 CAMPAIGN 

small of the \o.^. It was truly painful to see tliree 
persons afiacliecl to a monstrous bar, the weight of 
wfjich was above their strength to carr}^ Ii added 
to the poisfnancy of their sufferings, in su<'h frigid 
weather, that their colleagfues at the bar, having 
shorter heels, could withdraw the foot and perambu- 
late the jail : where their companions left them, there 
they must remain seated on the floor, unless some 
kinfl hands assisted them to remove. 

There was a droll dog from theeastward, who was 
doubly unfortunate: in the attack on the city he 
had received a spent hall in the pit of the stomach, 
which had nearly ended him : now it became his lot 
to have arj immense foot -bolt fastened to his leg, with- 
out a companion to bear him company, and cheer his 
lonelv hours. This victim of persecution andsorrow 
would sometimes come among us in the yard, bear- 
iris: up his bob, slung by a cord hitched over his 
shoulder. Nothing could damp his spirits. He 
talked, laughed and sung incessantly. Some others, 
besides those, were similarly situated. Those who 
"were so lucky as to have light hand-cuffs, bore them 
about with them. The greatest danger of discovery 
arose from those who could free tiiemselves from th^ 
heavy irons. The usual visitations were increased 
from twice to thrice a day — in tlie first and last if 
smith searched the bolls of each person. But the 
were oiher intrusions, intermediately, by officers evi- 
dently despatched by the suspicions of government,, 
for the purpose oi discovery. To counteract these 
new measures of caution and jealousy, we were well 
prepared. Sentries, on our pan, were regularly sta- 
tioned at certain windows of the jail, to descry \hi 
approach of any one in the garb of an officer. The 
view from these windows wasa pretty extensive, do<\^n 
twb of the stre^t^, ^^cfelly th^t leading to the palacfe. 



AGAlx\ST QUEBEC. 188 

Notwiihstancling every camion lo avoid detection, yet 
the clang of tiie lock of the great, door was on some 
occasions the only warning given us of the iinperid- 
ing danger. The pcaniperings at those times weie 
truly diverting, and having always escaped discov- 
ery, gave us much amusement. The clanking of 
the fetters followed, and was terrible ; such as the 
imagination forms in childhood of the condition of 
the soul- iu Taitarus ; even this was spon. Happi-; 
ly our real sittiation was never know i to any ol the, 
government officers ; unless the good blacksmith, (a 
worthy Irishman, of a feeling heart,) might be call- 
ed such, and he was silent.' 

Towards the middle of April, the scurvy, which 
we had been imbibing during ihe winter, niade its 
appearance in its most virulem and deadly forms, pie- 
ced'd and accompanied by a violent dia'rhoea. — 
Many of those who Avere first arte led were taken to 
the hospital ; but the disease soon became general a- 
mong us. We were attended several times by doc- 
tor May bin, the physician general, who, by his ten- 
der atif.ntions and amiable manners, won our alfec- 
tions : he reconunended a cleansing of the stomach, 
o'by ipecacuanna and mild cathaitics, such as rhu- 
barb, together with due exercise. Those who weie 
a.yotmg, active, and sensible of the doctor's salutary 
3-^dvice, kept afoot, and practised every kind of aih- 
jletic sport we could devise. On the contrary, those 
)who were supinely indolent, and adhered to their 
blankets, became objects of real commiseration — 
I their limbs contracted, as one of mine is now : large 
-jblue, and even black blotches appeared on iheii bod- 
ies and limbs — the gums becanje black — the morbid 
, flesh fell away — the teeth loosened, and in several 
instances fell out. Our luiuds w- re now really de- 
pres=fed, '1 hat hilarity aud fyu which supported our 



184 CAMPAIGN 

spirits in the greatest misfortunes, gave way towail- 
ings, groanings and deaih. I know, from dire expe- 
rience, lliat wlien the body suffers pain, the mind, for 
the time, is deprived of all its exhileratiorjs— in short, 
ahnost of the power of thmking. The elbow joints, 
the hips, the knees, and ancles were most severely 
pained. It was soon observed, (though the doctor's 
mate attended us almost daily, and very caiefully,) 
there was little or no mitigation of our diseases, ex- 
cept that the diairhoea, which was derived from an- 
other cause than that which pioduced ihe scurvy, 
was somew^hat abated ; and that our remedy lay 
elsewhere in the materia medica, which was beyond 
the grasp of the physician. The diarrhoea came 
from the nature of the water we useil daily. In the 
month of April the snows began to melt, not by the 
heat of the sun, but most probably by the warmth of 
the earth beneath the snows. The ground, satura- 
ted with snow-water, naturally increased the foun- 
tain head in the cellar. Literally, we drank the 
melted snow. Ti e scurvy had another oiigin. The 
diet — salt pork, infamous biscuit — damp, and close 
confinement in a narrow space, together with the se- 
verity of the climate, were the true causes of the scur- 
vy- . , 

There was no doubt in any reflective mmd among 

US, but that the virtuous and beneficent Carlton, ta- 
king into view his perilous predicament, did every 
thing for us which an honest man and a good Chris- 
tian could. 

An observation may be made in this place with 
propriety: that is, that in the climates of all high 
southern or northern regions, the soil is very rich and 
proHfic. This beneficial operation of nature, is, in 
all likelihood, attributable to the nitrous qualities that 
the snow deposites. Of the fact that nitre is the 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 18» 

principal ingredient which causes fertility in the earth, 
no man of observation can at this d 'y reasonably 
doubt. The earth is replete of it. Wherever earth 
and shade unite, it is engendered and becomes ap- 
parent. This idea is proved by the circumstance that 
nitre may be procuied from caves, the earth of cel- 
lar?:, outhouses, and even from common earth, if kept 
under cover. During the revolution, when powder 
was so necessary, we every where experienced the 
good effects of this di>xovery. The snows that usu- 
ally fall in Canada about the middle of Noveniber, 
and generally cover the ground until the end of A- 
pril, in my opinion l]ll tfi'e soil with those vegetative 
salts that forward the growth of [)lants. This idea 
was evinced to me by my vague and inconsiderate 
mind, froni observatiotjs then made, and which were 
more firndy established by assurances irom Captain 
Prentis, \hRl muck ov manure, which we employ in 
southern climates, is there never used. In that coun- 
try the moment the ground is free t'wm snow, the 
grass, and every species of plant, spring forward in 
the most luxuriant manner. Captain Prentis, be- 
sides the continuation of his care and friejidship to 
Gibson and myself, did not restrain his generosity to 
individuals, liut procured fi riis a permi.-^sion from gov- 
ernment to send out an old Irishman, of the JNevv- 
York line, an excellent Catholic, to • ollect lor us veg- 
etable food. The first specimen of this good old 
man's attention and industry, was the production of 
a large basket full of the ordinary blue giarss of our 
country ; this grass, by those who got it, w^as devour- 
ed ravenously at the basket, if so happy as to be a- 
ble to come near it. Scurvy grass, in many varie- 
ties, eschalots, small onions, onion tops,, and garlic, 
succeeded, and were wclconed by all of us for sev- 
eral months aft^-wajd^e. This voracioais appietwe fov 
1^* 



186 CAMPAIGN 

vegetables seems to bean incident alwaj'^s concurring 
in that terrible disease, tlie scurvy ; nature seems to 
instil into the patient a desire for such food, and of 
acids, which are the only specific, (with a due atten- 
tion to cleanliness,) hitherto discovered, that eradicate 
the stamina of the disease. 

About the time above spoken of, Gov. Carlton di- 
rected that we should be supplied with fresh beef. 
This was no other than that w^hich had been brought 
into the city when we lay at Point aux Tremble, in 
the foregoing autumn, and in aid of the stores of the 
garrison. It had lain in a frozen state during the 
winter without salting, but now as warm weather 
was approaching, it began to thaw, and was hberal- 
ly disposed of to tlie garrison and prisoners. The 
beef was sweet, though here and tliere a little blue- 
ish, (like the mould of stale bread,) very tender, but 
somewhat mawkish. It was palatable and nutritive 
to men afflicted as we were. This beef, connected 
with vegetables, soon animated us with an idea of 
returning liealth and vigor ; yet, though it mitigated 
the pains we endured, it did not totally expel the 
scurvy. 

The 7th of May arrived. Two ships came to the 
aid of the garrison, beating through a body of ice, 
which perhaps was impervious to any olherihan the 
intrepid sailor. This relief of men and stores crea- 
ted great joy in the town. Our army began their 
disorderly retreat. My friend Simpson, with his par- 
ty, was much misused, from a neglect of giving him 
information of the intended flight of our army. Some 
few of the men under his authority, straggled and 
were taken in the retreat. They came to inhabit our 
house. Now, for the first time, we heard an account 
of the occurrences during the winter's blockade, 
which, though of trivial import, was to us immense- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 187 

ly interesting. The sally of this clay prodiicecl to the 
prij^oners additional comfort ; thougii the troop? took 
a severe revenge upon our friends without, by burn- 
ing and destroying their property. The next day 
more ships and troops arrived: a pursuit took place, 
the effect of whicii was of no consequence, except so 
far as it tended to expel the col< nial troops from Can- 
ada. To the prisoners, this retreat hnd ()leasing con- 
sequences ; fresrh bread, beef newly slaughieied, and 
a superabundance of vegetables, was a salutary diet 
to our reduced and scorbjiitic bodies. Still, Ireedomj 
that greatest of blessings, and exercise, were requi- 
red to bring back to us genuine health. About, this 
time an incident occurred that threw us into extacy, 
as it relieved our minds and faculties from a most 
torturing piece of preservative duty : this was no oth- 
er than an authoritative diveslmerjt of the irons. — 
One day, peihaps the 15th or 18ih of May, Colonel 
Maclean, attended by ]\Iajor ('arlton, a younger broth- 
er of the General, Major Maibaum, a German offi- 
cer, both of whom had just ai rived tiom Europe, to- 
gether with Captain Prentis, and other officers, en- 
tered the jail about mitl-day. The prisoners paraded 
in the jail-yard, completely ironed. Captain Prentis, 
by the direction of Colonel Maclean, pointed out to 
the other officers: "This is General such-a-one — 
that is Colonel such-a-one," and in this maimer pro- 
ceeded to name all the leading characters. Happen- 
ing to be very near the amiable, it might be said, ad- 
mirable Major Carlton, he was overheard to say, 'Col- 
onel, an)bition is laudable ; cannot the irons of these 
men be struck off?' This the Colonel ordeied to be 
done injmediately. Our kind-hearted blacksmith 
was not distant : he came, and the officers remained 
to see some of the largest bolts dive-ted, and then left 
us. < Come, cunie, geotlemen,' said the blacksmith, 



188 CAMPAIGN 

* you can put off your irons.' In a minute, the vast 
pile lay before him. Being- now at full bodily hber- 
ty, we completed a ball court which had been origin- 
ally formed, as it were, by stealth. Hrre a singular 
phenomenon that auends the scurvy, discovered it- 
self. Tlie venerable and respectable Maybiti had rec- 
onmiended to usexercise, not only as a means of cure, 
but as a preventive of the scorbutic humors operating. 
Four of the most active would engage at a game of 
*' fives." Having played some games in contiima- 
tion, if a party incautiously sat down, he w as seized 
by the most violent pains in the hips and knt^es, tliat 
incapacitated him fiom play for many hours, and 
from rising from the earth, where the patient had 
seated himself. These pains taught us to keep afoot 
all day, and even \o eat our food in an erect posture. 
Going to bed in the evening, after a hard day's play, 
those sensations of pain upon lying down, inmiedi- 
ately attacked us. The pain would continue half 
an hour, and often longer. My own experience w'ill 
authotise me to say two hours. In the morning we 
rose tree from pain, and the routine of play and fa- 
tijiue ensued, but always attended by the same ef- 
fects, particularly to thestul>b<»rn and incautious, %^ ho 
w«njld not adhere to the wholesome advice of doctor 
May bin. Those who were inactive retained those 
excruciating pains to the last, together with theirdis- 
torted, bloated, and blackened liujbs. Upon our re- 
turn from Canada, in the autumn of 1776, I saw 
fiveor sixof ujy crippled compatriots hobbling through 
the streets of Lancaster on their way hotue. It cost 
a tear — ail that could be given. By the month of 
August, the active were relieved from those pains. 

Towards the end of May Governor Carlton order- 
ed each of the prisoners a linen shirt. This gift, to 
me, was most agreeable, as linen next the ekin, for 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 189 

some months pnst, was unfelt, and few persons wlio 
have not felt the extremity of such endurances as 
oursj can form a full conception ot the gratification 
we enjoyed. Having had but one shirt on at tlie 
time of our capture, it was soon destroyed by the 
wearing and the repeated washings it required. Del- 
icacy forbids a dilation upon the consequences. You 
would laugh at the description of one of our wash- 
ing parties. Rising early, the prime object was to 
make a strong lye of wood-ashes, of which we had 
plenty, into which the linen was plunged, and con- 
cocted for an hour or more, under a fjope of putting 
an end to certain vagranis, of a genus with which 
most of us are acquainted. During the boiling the 
votaries of cleanlinesi>, cloaked in a blanket, or blan- 
ket coat, watched the ebulitions of the kettle. The 
boiling done, the Hnen was borne to the yard, where 
each one washed his own, and watched it during the 
drying, almost in a state of nature, ("aptain Pren- 
lis, pitying my sad condition, presvsed upon me often 
to accept from him money to purchase a suit of 
clothe^', and he would trust to the honor and integri- 
ty of my father for payment, w4iose chaiacter he 
knew. Adhering to my first determination, this po- 
lite and generous proposal of my amiable and deser- 
ving friend, was as often, yet most thankfully declin- 
ed, maugre the advice of my bosom friends, Boyd 
and Cunningham, to the contrary. He, however, 
forced upon me half a johaimes. This small sum 
was applied to the solace of my heart. In the first 
place, to an article still more necessary than a shirt. 
The residue was expended upon matters whichcheer- 
ed the hearts of my messmates, whom I dearly lov- 
ed ; cheese, sugar, tea, coffee, &c. Spirits were de- 
tested, as we knew it to be a poison to scorbutic per- 
sons. What pleased me mucli more, and gave me 



IM CAMPAIGN 

pure delight, was tlie following occurrence : Of my 
own accoid, no one knowing of the inteniiun, tlie 
good old Irishman was delegated to purchase three 
or four pounds of tobacco. It was secreily bought, 
and as secretly borne to our room. A pound was 
produced and fairly parted among our lobaccochew- 
ers. You cannot conceive I heir joy. When the first 
paroxism was over, ihe remainder was disposed of in 
the same way. The thankfulness of those brave, 
but destitute men, arose towards me, neaily to ador- 
ation. You will ask why? Hear the reason; 
From your small knowledge of mankind, you can 
have little conception of the iorce habit has on the 
human race. One who chews, smokes or snuffs to- 
bacco, is as little able to abstain from that enjoyment 
as you would be if compelled to refrain from your 
usual meals. This particular is spoken of, to per- 
suade you by no means to use tobacco in any shape. 
It is a poison of the most inveterate kind, which like 
opium, arsenic, and several other medicaments, may 
be applied to healthful purposes, yet, if employed in 
an extreme degree, produces instantaneous death. 
These ideas are not visionary, but are suppoi table by 
the auihority of some of the best physicians. You 
are at lull liberty to put your own const rmtions up- 
on these observations. But to return to my fellow- 
prisoners. 

In the wilderness, where the army soon run out 
the article of tobacco, the men had many valuable 
succedaneums. The barks of the different kinds of 
firs, the cedar, the red willow, and the leaves of many 
astringent or bitter plants supplied the place ; but 
within the bare walls of our jail there was no substi- 
tute for this dear and inebriating vegetable, "^rhus 
was all my money expended, and much to my satis- 
faction, and to the heait-felt pleasure of my brave 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 101 

and worthy companions, whose suffering's, in cer- 
tain points, were greater than my own. The tahie 
of the virtuous and generous Prentis had often fur- 
nished me hberally with wholesome viands. With 
convalescency, thous:h pennyless, we again became 
merry and hght-hearted. 

In the beginninjj' of August we were told by Cap- 
tain Prentis that tfie Governor had concluded to send 
us by sea to New York, upon parole, for the purpose 
of being exchanged ; that the transports, which had 
brought the late reinforcements from Europe, were 
cleansing and pieparing for the voyage. ]\ow there 
was exultation. On thd 7th of August we subscri- 
bed our written paroles. Captain Prentis procured 
me permission from government, with a few friends, 
to traverse the city. An officer of the garrison at- 
tended us. Our first desire was to see the grave of 
our Gt^neral and those of his Aids, as well as those 
of the beloved Hendricks and Humphreys. 'J'he 
graves were wilhiri a small place of internient.neat 
ly walled with stone. The coffins of Montgomery, 
Cheeseman and M'Pherson, were well arranged, side 
by side; those of Hendricks, Humphreys. Cooper, 
<fec. were arranged on the south side of the inclo- 
sure. As the burial of these heroes took place in a 
dreary winter, and tlie earth impenetrable, there was 
but little earth on the coffins: the snow and ice, 
which had been the principal covering, being now 
dissolved, the foot of the General's cof!in way expo- 
sed to the air and view. The coffin was well form- 
ed of fir plank. Captain Prentis assured me that 
the graves should he deepened and the bodies duly 
deposited, for he also knew Montgomery as a fe'low- 
soldier, and lamented his untimely fate. Thence we 
proceeded past the citadel, along the ramparts to Cape 
Diamond) descended the declivity slantingly, and ex- 



192 Campaign 

amined the stockades and block-house. Il is this lit- 
tle tour that enabled me to describe to you the site 
and defences of that formidable pass. Proceeding 
thence through a part of the lower town, we came 
to a narrow street, which led us to an immense stair- 
way, one of the ascents into the upper town. As- 
cending here, we came to the main passage, which 
curvatured down the hill into the lower town, and 
which was to lead us in our supposed attack upon the 
upper town ; this we pursued, and came to ihe place 
of the second barrier, which had been lately demol- 
ished. The houses on both sides of the street, in 
which we had taken our stand, were now in ruins, 
having been burnt by the garrison, as were the sub- 
urbs of St. Roque and St. John's. This was done to 
render them unfit for the sht-lierof future assailants. 
Thus it is, that war destroys the wealth, and robs 
the individual ot ha[)piness. We had no time to 
make observations but such as could be done in pass- 
ing hastily. Returning to the upper town by the 
principal and winding road, we were strongly im- 
pressed with the opinion that if our whole force, as 
was intended, had formed a junction in the lovver 
town, that it was utteily impracticable, either from 
our number or our means, to mount by a road such 
as this was. Suppose it not to have been barricaded 
and enfiladed by cannon, it must be assailed by the 
bayonet, of which weapon we had very few, and 
the enemy was fully supplied. But when we reflect 
that across the road, at the centre of the arc of each 
curve, there was a barricade, and cannon placed to 
rake the intervals betw-een the different barricades, 
the difficulties of the ascent, which is very steep, 
would be increased even to insurmountability. The 
road is very narrow, and lined next the hill, by a 
stupendoujj precipice ; ou the other hand there were 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 193 

some housps romantically perched on the side of the 
declivity, and some rocks. The declivity, of itself, 
was an excellent defence, if the besieged could main- 
tain the position in front, for in a short time, in so 
confined a space, tlie assailants must either die, re- 
treat, or be thrown down the hill from the road. — 
But suppose all these defences overcome, and we had 
arrived at the brow of the hill at the entrance of the 
upper town, here a still more formidable obstacle pre- 
sented itself than those which could be formed by art 
in the lower parts of the road. At this place there 
is a hollow way, which in the hurry we were in, 
and the slight view we dared take, appeared as if cut 
out of the solid rock, of a depth of thirty or forty feet. 
Athwart this way there was a strong stockade, of a 
height nearly equal with the perpendicular sides of 
the way or gulley. From the surface above, we 
might have been stoned to death by the defenders of 
the fortress, without a probability of their receiving 
harm from us below, though ever so well armed. 
But the stockade itself, from its structure and abun- 
dant strength, would have resisted a force manifold 
our numbers, and much better supplied and accnu- 
tred. From these observations, (those of an unin- 
structed youth, to be sure,) there was no hesitation in 
teUing my intimate friends, then and since, that the 
scheme of the conquest of the upper town was vis- 
ionary and groundless ; not the result of our dear 
General's reflections, but foiced upon him by the n.""- 
ture and necessities of the times, and his disagreea- 
ble predicament. If a coalition of our forces in the 
lower town liad taken effect, the General would then 
most probably have developed his latent and real 
plans. The reasons given in council may have been 
promulgated merely to induce a more spirited exer- 
tion upoa the part pf the officers and soldiery who 
17 



IH CAMPAIGN 

were not in the secret, to excite a fictitious valor. Get- 
ting into serious action, and warmed by the opposi- 
tion of the enemy, the troops misfht have been indu- 
ced to persevere in any apparently sudden design of 
the General. The cupidity of the soldiers had been 
played upon. This latter fact is known to me of my 
ovs^n particular knowledge. Some weeks before the 
attack the soldiers, in their common conversations, 
spoke of the conquest of the city as a certainty, and 
exultingly of the plunder they should win by their 
bravery. It was not my business to contradict, but 
to urge them on. Perhaps by setting fire to the low- 
er town, on the side of Cape Diamond, (considering 
the prevailing wind, which was at south-east, but 
afterwards changed to north and north-west,) such a 
desifrn might have been eflTected. The shipping also 
ice-boimd, numerous and valuable, moored around 
the point, would have be^n consumable. All this de- 
struction would have been a victory of no mean 
kind ; but adding eclat to the known gallantry and 
prowess of the General. The Almighty willed that 
w^e should never know the pith or marrow of his pro- 
jects ; whatever they were, my mind is assured that 
they were considerately and well designed. He was 
not a man to act incautiously and without motive, 
and too honest and brave to adopt a sinister part. No 
doubt we could have escaped by the way ofSt. Roque, 
prnfected by the smoke of the conflagration, and the 
teiror and bustle which would consequently be crea- 
t<'d in the town. Though this path is too narrow 
for the operation of a large body of men, in an ex- 
tended front, still we should have been too numerous 
(under the circumstances supposed,) for the enemy 
to aflord a force, issuing from Palace gate, adequate 
to oppo e us. In the next instance, if we should 
happeo to be 90 very fortunate in such a retreat, as 



AGAINST QUEBEC. I9i 

to beat the foes, they must retreat into the city by the 
way of Palace gate, and we should iiave t-niercd 
peil mell, and should tlius have achieved tlie pos-es- 
sion of that important place, the upper town, which 
was tlie primary view, arjd last hope of the general 
and tlie army. These were the crude notions of a 
youth, formed upon the spot, but in a maturation of 
thirty yeais are still retained. 

The General did not want for information. Many 
persons, male and female, (unnecessary' mouths,) 
were expelled the city, to wander for subsisience a- 
monii^ their Iriends in the country. His own knowl- 
edge of Quebec, where h6 had served, would enable 
him by inierrogation to extort from these emigrants a 
full stock of information of alt the new delences e- 
rected by Governor (Jarlion since. ConsetjUeniiy, 
knowing the practicability of Cape Diamond as an 
entrance to the lower town, (but a most dangerous 
one,) and that of St. Roque, with which and its bar- 
riers, he was particularly acquainted, from his own 
and the observations of others ; if so, he would most 
a.<smedly be informed of the defensive obstructions 
on the slope of the hill, and the employment ol the 
troops that would in consequence attend : and he 
would also know that this place, to the garrison, 
would be a perfect Theimopylae, impassable l)y ten 
times our number, if we had been veterans and were 
better furnished. From these reasons there was an 
inducement for my mind, at all times since ihe at- 
tack, to conclude that it was never General Al* nt- 
goniery's real design to conquer the upper town by 
an invasion from the lower town, but his hidden and 
true plan was, by a consolidation of our whole lorce, 
to btnn the lower town and shipping, and to retreat 
by the way of Palace g^ate and St. Roque. If a 
gaily was made at Palace gate, the event, as was obr 



196 CAMPAIGN 

served before, might he fatal to the enemy. The 
comprehensive mind of Montgomery would not only 
appreciate to the full extent the peculiar advantages 
of the enemy, but estimate to its true value the means 
he possessed, and the merits of his own army. Pre- 
surviing the colonists to be successful in the lower 
town, where theie was much wealth, and the ava- 
ricious among us he in some degree gratified, it would 
fiave created a spirit of hope and enterprize among 
the men, tending to induce them to remain with us. 
Afterwards, coml)ining our whole force, with the re- 
inforcements we liad a prospect of receiving, an at- 
tack upon the upper town might have succeeded. In 
a w^ord, the destruction of the lower town, in my ap- 
prehension, should be considered merely as prepara- 
tory to a general assailment of the upper town, not- 
w-ithstanding all that has been said in the memoirs 
of those days. A contrary opinion went abroad that 
" the General if he had lived, by this assault would 
have conquered Quebec." No idea could be more 
fallacious. It was politicallyjight to keep upthiito- 
pinion among the people in those trying times, but 
its accomplishment with our occompaniment of men 
and defective arms, was ideal. Our walk from the 
great gate a nd palisade was considerable, ere we reach- 
ed our detestable dwelling ; as we had r-njoyed a few 
hours of fleeting liberty, the " locki»ig-up" became 
the more horrible to our feelings. The next day, 
however, we had the inefllible pleasure of marching 
in a body to the water side, and embarked on board 
five transports. On the following day a new joy was 
in store for me. General AVilliam Thompson, (of 
whom it miglit well be said, ^ this is a m(tn^^) who 
had commanded our reginient at Prospect hill, as its 
Colonel, had been taken prisoner at the Three Riv- 
ers, with several other officers, in the preceding month 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 197 

of June. He was now aboard of our little fleet, des- 
tined to New York. Thompson came to our ship to 
visit the miserable remnant of a part of his gallant 
corps. The General had a special message to me 
from my father, with whom he wasintimaie. Com- 
ing through Lancaster in his way to his conunand 
in Cannda, he was authorized by my fatlier, if he 
saw me in that couniry, to furnish me with money. 
I'he good man pruHered me four half-johannes ; one 
only was accepted. What was fiearer and dearer to 
my heart was the inforniation tliat my parents, rela- 
tives and friends were we.ll. That money was ap- 
plied to the use of my messmates in the way of sea 
stores. Permission being obtained, Boyd and myself 
went ashoie: our purchases consisted of a very large 
Cheshire cheese, cofi'ee, tea and sugar, together with 
a large roll of tobacco for the men. Again penny- 
less, jollity and njirth did not forsake us. 

We -ailed on the tenth of August, convoxed by 
the Pearl frigate, ("aptain ]\rK«'Uzie. la sing liie 
delightful island of Orltans, much in shuie, we ob- 
served the farmers reaping their wheat, and as we run 
along we could see that thehauti, in many mslduces, 
was green towards the foot of the stalk. From this 
circumstance it was concluded that frequently, partic- 
ularly in cold or wet seasons, the grain must be kiln- 
dried, as is done in the north of Hngland and m Scot- 
land, before it is housed and threshed. The wheat, 
though sown between the tifteenth and twentieth of 
IVIa}^, and probably sometimes eailier or later, is 
weighty, and pioduces a very fine white flour. The 
voyage down the river, except a few boisteious days, 
was pleasant. We had some noble views, intersper- 
sed here an;! there with something like villages, chap- 
els and farm houses. Afterwards, we had in pros- 
pect a bleak and dreary coast and country, wUoBe 
17* 



19S CAMPAIGN 

craofgedness inspired disagreeable sensntions. The 
gieatest. ciiiiosuies were the seals, whose history and 
manneis were then known to me, but whose living 
foriri excited attention as they were creeping up or 
basking on the rocks. The poi poises, perfecily white, 
in vast droves, played before and around us, and 
drew my attention and surprise, as none but the black 
southern porpoise had before come under my view. 
To become a naturahst it is necessary a man should 
travel ; it was many years before books could per- 
suade me of the existence of a green-haired monkey ; 
but these were diminutive objects indeed in nature's 
scale of comparative imagery, when contrasted with 
the immense river Cadaracqua^ or as it is now call- 
ed St. Lawrence, second to no river in the world, un- 
less it be the La Plata, of Soutfj America. Makitig 
this observation, y<n nmst understand me to include 
within it the lake Superior, and the waters that feed 
that lake. OH' Gaspy Point, where we soon arrived, 
in a due north line across the island of Anticosta, the 
liver is about ninety miles wide. Steeling with fa- 
vorable weather, the island of St John's came in 
view ; passing it, and the Gut of Canceaux, experi- 
encing some stormy weather upon the ocean, arjd a 
few difficulties, we happily arrived at New York on 
the 11th of September, 1776, and anchored three 
miles south of Governor's Island. Now it was, for 
the first time, that we heard of the dilemma in which 
our country stood. 

The battle of Lont^ Island, on the 27ih of August, 
had been unsuccessfully fought by our troops, niany 
of whom were prisoners. In such hurrying tiujes 
intercourse between hostile armies in the way of ne- 
gotiation upon any point, is ell'ected with difficulty. 
We had waited patiently several weeks to be disem- 
barked on our own friendly shore, yet tantalized ev- 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 199 

ery day with reports that to-monow we should be put 
onshore; some, and in a liitle while all, began to 
fear it was the intention of General Howe fo detain 
us as prisoners in opposition to the good will of Sir 
Guy Carlton. This notion had so strongly impress- 
ed the minds of my friend Doctor "I'honias Gibson, 
and a young man called Jolm Blair, of Hendiicks, 
that they determined to escape from the ship. They 
were both of tisem athletic and able bodied men, and 
iTJost adroit. Gibson planned the manner of escape ; 
its ingeniousness, hazard, boldness of execution, and 
eventual success, received the applause of all, but 
was disapproved upon ihh principle tl»at it trenched 
upon their honor, and would impede our release. — 
The story is this : Gibson and Blair, in the evt ning, 
dressed in shirts and trowsers, were upon the main 
deck with their customary flapped hats upon their 
heads. Gibson gave me a squeeze of the hand in 
token of farewell : he was greeted kindly, lor he was 
the brother of my soul. He and his companion went 
to the forecastle, where there were two large New 
Foundland dogs, each of which had his P'lrty, or 
rather, his partizans amono^ the crew. These the 
adventurers hissed at each other ; the dogs being en- 
gaged with their usual fury, attracted the attention 
of the sailors and many of the |tri>oners; they took 
this opportunity of stripping and letting themselves 
down at the bow into the water, /.meaning over the 
sides of the ship in company of some friends in ihe 
secret, and imregardful of the dogs, we awaited the 
management of the flight. The last lighted cloud 
ap[)eared low in the west. Something exiraordinary 
passed along the side : a foolish fellow asked ' what 
is that?' 'A wave, you fool — a mere dece[)tion of 
siglit,' was answered. It was the head of Gibson, 
covered by his large black hat. Within a few yards 



20» CAMPAIGN 

of Gibson came Blair, but with a smaller hat ; he 
was obvious. His white skin discovered him, but 
hickily tlie attention of the ignoramus was engaged 
another way. These daring men swam to the barge 
at the stern, entered it, and slipped the rope. They 
had rowed a thousand yards before tiie boat was miss- 
ed. Tlie other boats ol our ship, and those near us, 
were despaiciied after the runaways; it was too late, 
the fugitives had too much of a start to be easily o- 
vertaken. They landed, (having rowed about five 
mileS;) naked in our own country, somewhere in the 
vicinity of Bergen-neck, and bartered the boat for 
some ordinary clothing. They waited on General 
Washington, who disapproved of their conduct. 

A short time after the foregoing occurrence, a most 
beautiful and luminous, l)ut baleful sight occurred to 
us ; that is, the city of New York on fire. One 
night, (Sept. 22,) the watch on deck gave a loud no- 
tice of this disaster. Running upon deck we could 
percei e a liulit, which, at the distance we were from 
it, (fom* miles,) was apparently of the size of the 
flame of a candle. Tfiis light to me appeared to be 
the binning of an old and noted tavern, called the 
'Fighting Cocks,' (where, ere tins I had lodged,) to 
the east of the battery, and near the wharf The 
wind was southwardly, and blew a fresh gale ; the 
flames at this place, because of the wind, inci eased 
lapidly. In a moment we saw another light at a 
great distance from the first, up the North River. — 
'I'he laner light seemed to bean original, distinct and 
new formed tire, near a celebrated tavern in theBroad- 
way called ' White Hall.' Our anxiety for the fate 
of so fine a city caused much solicitude, as we har- 
bored a belief that the enemy had fired it. The 
flames were fanned by the briskness of the breeze, 
and drove the destructive eflects of the elements oa 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 201 

all sides. When the fire reached the spire of a large 
steeple, south of the tavern, which was attached to a 
large church, the effect upon tlie eye was astonish- 
ingly grand. If we could have divested ourselves of 
the knowledge that it w^as the property of our fellow 
citizens which was consuming, the view miglit have 
been esteemed sublime, if not pleasing. T.'he deck 
of our ship, for many hours, was lighted as at noon 
day. In the commencement of the conflagration, we 
observed many boats putting off from the fleet, row- 
ing speedily towards the city ; our boat was of the 
number. This circumstance repelled the idea that 
our enemies were the ii^icen diaries, for indeed they 
professedly went in aid of the inhabitants, '^riie 
boat returned about day light, and from the relation 
of the ofliicer and the crew we clearly discerned that 
the burning of JNew York was the act of some mad 
cap Americans. The sailors told us, in their blunt 
manner, that they had seen one American hanging 
by the heels dead, having a bayonet wound through 
his breast. They named him by his christian and 
sirnan^e, which they saw imprinted on his arm; they 
averred he was caught in the act of tiring the hou- 
ses. They told us also that they had seen one per- 
son who was taken in the act tossed into tlie fire, and 
that several who were stealing, and suspected as in- 
cendiaries, were bayonetted. Summary justice is at no 
time laudable, but in this instance it may have been 
correct. If the Greeks cou.d have been resisted at 
Persepoli-', every soul of them ought to have been 
massacred. The testimony we received from the 
sailors, my own view of the distinct beginning of 
the fire, in various spots, remote from each other, and 
the manner of its spreading, impressed my mind with 
the belief that the burning of the city was the do- 
ings of the most low and vile of persons, for the pur- 



20a CAMPAIGN 

poses not only of thieving, but of devastation. This 
seemed to be the general sense, not only of the Brit- 
ish, but that of ti»e prisoners then aboaid the trans- 
ports. Laying directly south of the city, and in a 
range vvitfi Broadway, we had a fair and full view 
of the whole process. The persons in the ships near- 
er to the town than we were, uniforndy held the same 
opinion. It was not until some years afterwards that 
a doubt was created ; but lor the ht)nor of our coun- 
try and its good name, an ascription w^asm.adeof the 
firing of the city to accidental circumstances. It 
may be well that a nation, in the lieat and turbu- 
lence of war, should endeavor to promote its interests 
by propagating reportsol iisown innocenceand prow- 
ess, and accusing its enemy of flagrant enormity and 
dastardliness, (as was done in this particular case,) 
but wlien peace comes, let us, in God's name, do jus- 
tice to them and to ourselves. Baseness and villany 
are the growth of all climes, and of all nations. — 
Without the most cogent testimony, as the fact oc- 
curred within my own view, the el quence of Cicero 
could not convince me that the firing was accidental. 
Some time after the burning of the city we under- 
stood that we were to be embarked m shallops, and 
landed at Elizabethtown point. 

The intelligence caused a i-parkling in every eye. 
On the next day about noon we were in the boats. 
Adverse winds retarded us. It was ten or eleven at 
night, before we landed ; the moon shone beautiful- 
ly. Morgan stood in the bow of the boat ; making 
a spring not easily surpassed, and falling on the earth 
as it w^ere to grasp it, cried " Oh my country." We 
that were near him, pursued his example. Now a 
race commenced, which in quickness could scarcely 
be exceeded, and soon brought us to Elizabethtown, 
Here those of us who were drowsy spent an uneasy 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 208 

Hiffht. Being unexpected guest?, and the town full 
of troops, no quarters were provided for us. Joy ren- 
dered beds useless ; we did not close our eyes till day- 
light. Singing, dancing, the Indian halloo, in short, 
every species of vociferousness was adopted by the 
men, and many of the most respectable sergeants, to 
express their extreme pleasure. A stranger coming 
among them would have pronounced them mad, or 
at least intoxicated ; though since noon neither food 
nor liquor had passed our lips ; thus the passions may 
at times have an influence on the human frame as 
inebriatingas wine, or any other liquor. The morning 
brought us plenty, in the form of rations of beef and 
bread. Hunger allayed, my only desire was to pro- 
ceed homewards. Money was wanting. How to 
obtain it in a place where all my friends and acquain- 
tances were alike poor and destitute, gave me great 
anxiety and pain. Walking up the street very mel- 
ancholy, unknowing what to do, 1 observed a wag- 
gon, built in the Lancaster county fashion, (which 
at that time was pecuHar in Jersey,) unloading stores 
for the troops, come or coming. The owner seeing 
me, grasped mv hand with fervor, and told me every 
one believed me to be dead. Telling him our story 
in a compendious manner, the jjood old man, with- 
out solicitation, presented me two silver dollars, to be 
repaid at Lancaster. They were gladly received. 
My heart became easy. The next day, in company 
with the late Colonel Febiojer, and the present Gen- 
eral Nichols, and some other gentlemen, w^e procured 
a light return wagon, which gave us a cast as far as 
Princeton, Here we had the pleasure of conversing 
with Dr. Witherspoon, who was the first that inform- 
ed us of the resolution of Congress to augment the 
army. It grave us pleasure, as we f>ad devoted mr- 
seives individually to the service of our counuy.— 



204 CAMPAIGN 



The next day, if not incorrect, we proceeded on foot^ 
no carriage of any kind being- procurable. Night 
brought us up at a farm house, somewhere near Bris- 
tol. The owner was one of us, that is, a genuine 
whig. He requested us to tarry all night, which we 
decHned. He presented us a supper that was grate- 
fully received. Hearing our story, he w^as much af- 
fected. We then tried to prevail on him to take us 
to Philadelphia in his light wagon. It was objected 
that it stood loaded with hay on the barn floor ; his 
sons were asleep or abroad. We removed these ob- 
jections by unloading the hay, while this good citi- 
zen prepared the horses. JVIounting, we arrived at 
the *'Harp and Crown," about two o'clock in the 
morning. To us, it was most agreeable, that we 
passed through the streets of Philadelphiain the night 
time, as our clothing was not only thread-bare but 
shabby. Here we had friends and funds. A gen- 
tleman advanced me a sum sufficient to enable me 
to exchange my leggins and mockasins for a pair of 
stockings and shoes, and to bear my expenses home. 
A day and a half brought me to the arms of my be- 
loved parents. 

At Philadelphia, I waited upon a cousin of my 
moiher, Mr. Owen Biddle, then a member of the 
" Council of Safety," who informed me that while in 
captivity he had procured me a Lieutenancy. My 
heart was otherwise engaged. Morgan, the hero, 
had promised and obtained for me, a Captaincy in 
the Virginia line. Following the fortunes of that 
bold and judicious commander, my name might have 
been emblazoned in the rolls of patriotic fame. But 
alas ! in the course of eight weeks after my return 
from captivity, a slight cold, caught while skating on 
the ice of Susquehanna, or in pursuing the wild tur- 
key among the Kittatinny hills, put an end toall my 



AGAINST QUEBEC. 205 

visionary schemes of ambition. This cause renew- 
ed thai abominable disorder, the scurvy, (which I had 
supposed was expelled from my system,) accompani- 
ed by every morbid symptom that had been so often 
observed at duebec, attendant upon others. The 
medical men of all classes being engaged in the ar- 
my, that species of assistance was unattainable in 
the degree requisite ; lameness, as you now observe 
it, was the consequence. Would to God my extreme 
sufferings had then ended a life which since has been 
a tissue of labor, pain, and misery ! 



18 



SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF ARNOLD. 



Benedict Arnold was bom at Norwich, Conn, 
on the 3d of January, 174U. While yet a lad he 
was apprenticed to two gentlemen by the name of 
Lathrop, who were partners as druggists in a large 
establishment at Norwich, and alike distinguished lor 
their probity, worth, and the wide extent ol their bu- 
siness. Being allied by a distant relationship lo the 
mother of the young apprentice, they felt a personal 
interest in his welfare. 

It was soon made obvious to these gentlemen that 
they had neither an agreeable nor an easy task be- 
fore them. To an innate love of mischief, young 
Arnold added an obduracy of conscience, a cruelty of 
disposition, an irritability of temper, and a reckless 
indifference to the good or ill opinion of others, that 
left but a slender foundation upon which to erect a 
system of correct principles or habits. 

Weary of the monotonous duty of the shop, and 
smitien with the attractions of a military lifie, he en- 
listed as a King's soldier, without the knowledge of 
his friends, when he was sixteen years old, and went 
off with other recruits to Hartford. This caused such 
deep distress to his mother, that the Rev Dr. Lord, 
pastor of the church to which she belonged, and some 
other persons, took a lively interest in the matter, and 
succeeded in getting him released and brought back. 



208 SKETCH OF THE 

Not long afterwards he ran away, enlisted a second 
time, and was stationed at Ticonderoga and difiierent 
places on the frontiers ; but being employed in garri- 
son duty, and subject to more restraint and discipline 
than were suited to his restless spirit and unyielding 
obstinacy, and seeing no prospect of an opportunity 
for gratifying his ambition and love of bold adven- 
ture, he deserted, returned to Norwich, and resumed 
his former employment. When a British officer pass- 
ed through the town in pursuit of deserters, fearing a 
discovery, his friends secreted him in a cellar till night, 
and then sent him several miles into the country, 
where he remained concealed till the officer was gone. 

After he had served out his apprenticeship, Arnold 
left Norwich and commenced business as a druggist 
in New Haven. At length he took up the profession 
of a navigator, shipped horses, cattle, and provisions 
to the West Indies, and commanded his own vessels. 
His speculations ended in bankruptcy, and under cir- 
curTistances, which, in the opinion of the world, left 
a stain upon his honesty and good faith. He resu- 
med his business, and applied himself to it with his 
accustomed vigor and resource, and with the same 
obliquity of moral purpose, hazard, and disregard of 
public sentiment, that had always marked his con- 
duct. 

He was early iTiarried at New Haven to a lady by 
the name of Mansfield. She died at New Haven a- 
bout the lime the war began. 

There were in Connecticut two companies of mil- 
itia called the Governor's Guards, and organized in 
conformity to an act of the legislature. One of these 
companies belonged to New Haven, and in March, 
1775, Arnold was chosen to be its commander. This 
company consisted of fifty-eight men. When the 
news of the battle of Lexington reached New Ha- 



LIFE OF ARNOLD. 209 

ven, the bells were rung, and great excitement pre- 
vailed among the people. Moved by a coninion im- 
pulse, I hey assembled on the green in the centie of 
the town, where the Captain of the Guards look oc- 
casion to harangue the mu.itiiude, and alter addre-^s- 
iiig himself to their patri(;tic feelings, and rousing 
tlieir niaitial spirit by suitable appeals and represen- 
tations, he propo-ed to head any number of volun- 
teers that would join him, and march with them im- 
mediately to the scene of action. He ended his ad- 
dress by appointing a time and place for all such to 
meet, and tbrni themselv^es into a company. 

When the hour arrived, sixty volunteers appeared 
on the ground, belonging mostly to ihe Guards, with 
a few students Irom the v, College. No time was lost 
in preparing tor their departure, and on the morning 
of the next day they were ready to march. Being 
provided with ammunition, and participating the ar- 
dor of their leader, tlie company hastened forward 
by a rapid march to Caml)ridge, the head quarters of 
the troops, who were collecting irom various parts to 
resist any further aggressions from the British army 
in Boston. 

On the 3d of May the Massachusetts Committee 
of Salety commissioned Benedict Arnold as a Colon- 
el in the service of Massachusetts, and commander- 
in-chief of a body of troops not to exceed lour hun- 
dred, with whom he was to proceed on an expedition 
to subdue and take Fort Ticonderoga. 

The temperament of Colonel Arnold admitted no 
delay after matters had been thus arranged, and he 
made all haste to the theatre of operations. He ar- 
rived at Stockbridge, on the frontier of Massachusetts, 
within three days of the time of receiving his com- 
mission. He there found himself anticipated by the 
expedition set on foot under the command of Ethan 
■ 18* 



210 SKETCH OF THE 

Allen. A compromise in the command was e fife ted, 
by which Arnold acted in the capacity of a volun- 
teer. The party advanced lo Ticonderoga, took the 
fort hy surprise on the moining of the lOih of May, 
and made the wliole garrison prisoners. Ethan Al- 
len, as the commander, entered the fort at the head 
of his men. Arnold, ever foremost in scenesof dan- 
ger and feats of courage, assumed the piivilege of 
passing through the gate at his left hand. Thus the 
love of glory, common to them both, was gratified ; 
and the pride of Arnold was soothed, after the wound 
it had received by the disappointment of his ambi- 
tious hopes. 

Four days after the capture of the fortress, about 
50 men, who liad been enlisted in compliance with the 
orders given by Arnold on the road, joined him with 
two Captains at Ticonderoga. These were properly 
under his comnjand. They came by the way of 
Skenesborough, and brought forward the schooner ta- 
ken at that place, which belonged to Major Skene. 
He manned this vessel, proceeded immediately down 
the Lake to St. John's, where he surprised the garri- 
son, taking a stMgeant and twelve men prisoners, 
and captured a King's sloop with seve-n men. After 
destroying five baiteaux, seizing four others, and put- 
ting on board some of the valuable stores from the 
fort, he returned to Ticondeioga. Colonel Allen 
went npon the same expedition with one hundred and 
filty men in batteaux from Crown Point, but, as the 
batteaux moved with less speed than the schooner, 
he met Arnold leturning about fifteen miles from St. 
John's. 

After some other minor transactions on the fron- 
tiers, Arnold made haste back to Cambridge, where 
he arrived early in July. 

Arnold was now unemployed, but a project was 



LIFE OF ARNOLD. 211 

soon set on foot suited to his genius and capacity. — 
General Washins^ton had taken command of thear- 
my at Cambridge. The Continental ('ongress had 
resolved that an incursion into Canada should be 
made by the troops under General Sciiuyler. To fa- 
cilitate this object, a plan was devised about the mid- 
dle of August, by the Commander-in-Chief and sev- 
eral members of (congress then on a visit to the ar- 
my during an adjournment of that bod}'^, to send ari 
expedition to (Quebec through the eastern wilderness, 
v the way of the Kennebec river, which should e- 
. entually co-operate with the other party, or cause a 
diversion of the enemy, that would be favorable to 
its movements. Arnold was selected to be the con- 
ductor of this expedition, and he received from Wash- 
ington a commission of Colonel in the Continental 
service. The enterprise was bold and perilous, en- 
compassed with untiied difficulties, and not less haz- 
ardous in its execution, than unceitain as to its re- 
sults. These features, repelling as they were in 
ilitviiselves, appeared attractive in the eyes of a man 
Vv hose aliment was glory, and whose spirit was san- 
guine, restless, and daring. About eleven hundred 
effective men were detached and put under his com- 
mand, being ten companies of musketmen from 
Now England, and three companies of riflemen 
from Virginia and Pennsylvania. The field officers, 
m addition to the chief, were Lieutenant-Colonel 
(Christopher Greene, afterwards the hero of Red 
I5ank, Lieutenant-Colonel Roger Enos, and Majors 
Ligelow and Meigs. At the head of the riflemen 
V'as Captain Daniel Morgan, renowned in the sub- 
sequent annals of the war. 

These troops marched from Cambridge to Newbu- 
rjpori, where they embarked on board eleven trans- 



fill SKETCH, &c. 

ports, September 18th, and sailed the next day for 
the Kennebec river. 

Mr. Henry's account of the expedition throuiih the 
wilderness covers, in a degree, ihe history of AiTu^ld, 
until his return. The subsequent events of his life, 
occupying too much space, even with abridgement, 
for this volume, the reader will find in " The Litt^ 
and Treason of Benedict Arnold, by Jared Spaj ks" 
• — Harper's edition, N. York. 



THE END. 



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